


Fairies of the Pumpkin Patch

by NightshadeDawn



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairies, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/F, F/M, Minor Character Death, the f/f is more hinted at
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 03:48:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16569050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightshadeDawn/pseuds/NightshadeDawn
Summary: It's Halloween night, and Amber's got less than twenty four hours to become human again. Then again, average was never a word that could be used on her.Follow Amber Ryans on her journey as she's turned into a fairy with only twenty four hours to become human again in a darker, serious story against a magical girl backdrop.





	1. Bullies

        Amber walked along the school hallway with her head down. She wanted nothing more than for the weekend to be there already. Though, she felt like this most days.

        “Hey, Amber!” Called a voice. Amber looked up and saw a girl with dark brown hair and large brown eyes. The girl bounded over to Amber with a bright smile on her face. “Thanks for that help you gave me with my homework yesterday. It really helped a lot! I don’t think I’d have _ever_ passed Mr. Mathew’s assignment without it!”

        “Uh, yeah,” Amber said, smiling self-consciously. She bowed her head, chestnut colored hair falling in her face and hiding her oddly colored red eyes. “It- It was- It was nothing. You’re wel- welcome, Emily.”

        “Hey, nerds, whatcha doing on this side of the school?” sneered a voice that sent a chill down Amber’s spine. Jasper. He was a football jock that Amber had had to deal with for the past nine years. And one of her biggest tormentors.

        Though, there were rumors that he was in a gang amongst the students, and even a few of the teachers. As it was, he didn’t respect the dress code which strictly forbade pants hanging low, chains, and hats.

        Jasper was more often than not seen wearing all three.

        “Going to class,” Emily retorted. “Like _you_ should be.” She came up behind Amber and stood close to her protectively. Emily and Jasper had a glaring contest with one another that neither seemed keen on backing down from.

        Emily, unlike the weak-willed Amber, was quite strong minded. Even though she was pudgy and not all that slim like society seemed to demand, she didn’t let that bring her down. And most certainly wasn’t the type to let someone like _Jasper_ hurt her.

        “Psh,” he laughed. “I don’t have class unless I wanna have class.”

        “What are you doing here, skank?” a voice demanded behind Amber, making her jump. If Jasper was bad, the one behind her was worse. So much worse. Practically the devil in Amber’s eyes.

        She was horrible, mean. Downright fiendish at times.

        Someone knocked into her and made Amber trip and fall onto the floor. All the books in Amber’s arms scattered on the floor and her glasses knocked away.

_Please just leave me alone,_ Amber wanted to beg. She wanted to cry, to sob, to scream. But she did nothing. Instead, she crawled on the floor and looked for her glasses. Emily aided her after a final glare at Jasper.

        “Come on, Jasper,” said the person who’d knocked Amber down. “I want you to come sit with me!” Emily found Amber’s glasses and handed them, who then pushed them up her nose.

        Emily got to her feet. “Apologize,” she demanded slowly. Amber reached out for Emily, wanting to beg her to not get into it. But no words would come out of her mouth though her lips opened and closed.

_Please don’t. You’ll just be hurt. Just go. Please, please, please. Leave me alone. Don’t associate with me and get hurt._ But the words refused to come out and Emily didn’t seem to get the message.

        It was Lilith who stood before them, flanked by her cronies Bree and Shasta. The meanest, most popular girl at Carleton High, possibly in all of Oakridge, Idaho. And she could do some rotten things.

        Her rumors would spread around the whole school in only a day, and they could do immense damage. It was also possibly one of the hardest things to do to dispel them. Amber had learned a long time ago that she shouldn’t even try, as no one would believe her.

        “ _What_ was that?” Lilith questioned darkly, her eyes turning cold. Emily straitened as tall as she could, her mouth set into a line. Amber cowered smaller as she cringed.

_This isn’t going to end well, this isn’t going to end well, this isn’t going to end-_

        “You ran into Amber and made her spill all her books,” Emily stated. “You need to apologize to her. Right now.”

        “I did no such thing,” Lilith denied, turning to glare at Amber. Amber turned white and hide behind Emily. “The little klutz was already on the floor when I got here.”

        “What a load of bull-!” Emily began shouting, her face turning red from anger.

        Lilith interrupted her with her deadliest death glare, the one you _knew_ was bad and clearly stated Lilith was about to do _something_. “Are you, perhaps, contradicting me?” She demanded, walking away from Jasper and towards Emily. “Emily, was it?”

        Emily paled considerably and Amber’s heart dropped, bile rising in her throat. _You should have left, you should have left, you should have left._ “N-No, ma'am!” Emily exclaimed. “Wouldn’t dream of it!”

        Lilith smirked and folded her arms, tilting her head patronizingly. “Good choice,” she said. “Now, do us all a favor and get lost.”

        Emily jumped and nodded quickly. Then she turned to Amber who still had yet to rise from the floor. Her face was filled with pain and sorrow.

        It seemed to say, “I’m so, so sorry”.

        “Get moving,” Jasper growled, his voice low and gravelly.

        Emily turned away and began walking away and disappeared into the crowd. Many of those getting into their lockers or just hurrying to class looked at the scene out of the corner of their eye, but did no more. They may not have liked Lilith’s bullying, but they sure as all else weren’t going to try and stop her once she started. Or any _other_ time, really.

        No one wanted to be on Lilith’s bad side.

        Amber sighed and lowered her head. _Things- Things will never change, would they?_ Tears burned the back of Amber’s eyes but she forced them back. As always. She never let anyone see her cry. It was her one strength, if she had any.

        Lilith knelt in front of Amber with a smirk on her face.

        “You see, freak?” she hissed sweetly, like a snake just enticing and waiting to strike its prey. “This is what comes of people trying to help you. If you don’t want anyone else to get hurt, I suggest you stop trying to make friends.”

        The patronizing voice Lilith used had Amber shaking as she tried to control her tears. _I tried, I tried, I tried. I tried to tell Emily, but she wouldn’t leave-! She wouldn’t, and it’s my fault if she gets hurt. It’s all my fault, all my fault._

        Lilith got back to her feet and took Jasper’s arm. They walked off while Lilith sniggered into Jasper’s shoulder and Amber sank even further in the floor.

        Amber sighed to herself as they disappeared. She pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes as the hallway cleared of people. No one even looked her way. “Way to go, Amber,” Amber muttered to herself. “Nice going. Getting the two most popular people in the school mad at you, in less than ten minutes. And getting Emily mixed in too...”

        She crawled around, looking for her purple notebook, the one that held all her stories, while picking up all her others.

        “Where is it?!” she exclaimed, not seeing it anywhere. She frantically turned and circles, but didn’t eye the purple cover anywhere. She gripped her hair _. Nonono! Not- Not- Anything but that! They can’t see it!_

        She was so busy freaking out she didn’t see someone approach her. “Looking for this?” asked a male voice. Amber turned sharply and saw Luke, a nerdy boy like her, but was _extremely_ cute. Chocolate brown hair, creamy skin, dark green eyes.

        Amber was literally in love with the boy.

        But she admired him more than anything. Luke was… an enigma at Carlton High. He was outside of everything. No one was particularly sure where he’d come from. His friends all swore that they’d known him forever, but could never recall when they’d met him. He hadn’t been there until a couple week into the school year.

        He had no family in town. “Greenleaf” wasn’t a difficult name to find or locate in a town as small as Oakridge. Well, it wasn’t _that_ small. But it wasn’t the biggest place ever.

        And Lilith? Lilith couldn’t touch him. She’d tried. Since he was so out of place at the school, Lilith hadn’t liked him from the beginning. But whenever she tried anything, he would just smile that beautiful, perfect smile.

        Something Amber could never do.

        Luke held up Amber’s purple notebook and she snatched it away.

        “That’s mine!” she exclaimed as she did so. Then she blushed and brushed hair behind her ear only for it to fall in her face again. “Sor- Sorry,” she muttered. “Thank- Thank you, for- for giving this back to me. It’s, um, it’s extremely important to me.”

        Luke laughed, putting his hands into the pockets of his tan coat. “No worries,” he told her, smiling gently. His forest green eyes twinkled and Amber felt her heart skip. “I can tell. I’ll see you in science, Amber.”

        Amber’s ears blushed madly as Luke walked away. She hugged her notebook to her chest and looked down to it before checking to see if any of the pages were damaged.

        “He knows- my- he knows my name,” she whispered in awe, a small smile making its way to her face. But then the bell rang and Amber had to rush to her first period.

        After the horrid events of the morning, Amber’s day went almost smoothly. Save for the spaghetti in her hair at lunch and her stolen bra during gym. Add to it that it was tied up with the flag in front of the school… It was actually a pretty good day for the girl.

        After school, Amber began walking home, trying to decide if there was anything ready at home worth eating as a snack. Then decided that she wasn’t really hungry after pulling out yet another noodle from her hair.

_I’m going to need to bath tonight. Or as soon as possible. This is gross._

        Amber walked into her house at promptly three fifteen. There was clanging then a loud crash in the kitchen and Amber cringed as she made her way over to it.

        “Mom?” she called, opening the swinging door. “You okay?”

        Amber’s mother, Daisy Ryans, was the single mother of Amber. She worked long hours at the bakery she owned and worked at herself. When Daisy wasn’t at the bakery, she was at home in the kitchen, brewing up concoctions of her own creation. Amber had to admit those were pretty good.

        But the problem with Daisy was that she was a klutz, sometimes even more so than Amber. But she always intended good, so even though they never really had a whole lot of time together and their money supply was low, Amber was happy with her home life.

        No one was particularly sure what had happened to Amber’s father. “He just… disappeared,” Daisy said once when Amber asked. “Not left, disappeared.”

        He wasn’t dead, even though they had a gravestone for him in the cemetery. It was odd to find anyone who actually _remembered_ him, as well. If it weren’t for the pictures hanging up on the walls, there would have just been this empty space in the memories of everyone who’d known him.

        Daisy was on the kitchen floor, an arm dangling on a chair that she’d tried to stop herself from falling with. Their purple and black pots and pans were spilling from the cupboard from under the sink and were obviously what Daisy had tripped over. There were others on her lap, and somehow a pot had made it onto her head.

        But she was smiling when Amber walked in. A bright, blindingly white smile.

        “Hi honey,” Daisy told Amber. Amber reached out a hand and Daisy took it. Amber helped her mother to her feet. “How was your day?”

        Amber shrugged as she got onto her knees and began picking up the pots and pans. “It was okay,” she said.

        “No worse than yesterday-” Daisy began.

        “-or more terrible than tomorrow,” they both finished. Daisy smiled at her daughter.

        Then the timer on the microwave beeped. “Oh!” Daisy said, jumping and running over to the oven. “My cookies!”

        Daisy opened the oven and quickly pulled out the steaming cookie pan and set it on top of the burners. Daisy leaned against the sink and wiped her brow.

        “I’m glad _that’s_ all done,” she said. “I thought I would never finish!”

        Amber couldn’t help but giggle at her mother. “Mom,” she said thoughtfully as she put the last pot away. “I thought you had work today.”

        Daisy shook her head. “No, sweetheart, today I was off to let some of the new kids see how they do on their own.” Daisy took the milk out of the fridge. “Hot cocoa?”

        “Yes please,” Amber said, her heart warming at the thought. It wasn’t often they got to do ‘their thing’. “What kind of cookies are these?” She took a cookie off the pan and held it close to her nose. It smelled of cinnamon and chocolate, and _lots_ of sugar.

        “Snickerdoodles,” Daisy said, pouring some of the milk into their silver kettle and setting it on the stove to heat up. Then she grinned as she looked over her shoulder at Amber. “With m&m's.”

        Amber looked from her mother to the cookie in her hand and back to her mother before breaking out into a big grin and stuffing half of the warm and gooey cookie in her mouth.

        “This is gwood!” she said with a laugh, her mouth stuff full of food. She gulped down the bite and broke into a large grin. “Really good! I might have to replace regular old m&m chocolate chip cookies with these!”

        Daisy then smiled too. “Well, I’m glad you like it,” she told Amber, setting a cup of hot chocolate in front of Amber. “Because I made three batches of it!” She laughed and went to ruffle Amber’s hair. Her laughter abruptly stopped and she pulled away with mostly dried spaghetti sauce stuck to it. “Amber, what is this?”

        Amber looked down into her cup. “Spaghetti sauce,” she mumbled.

        Daisy sighed as she sunk into her chair. “Amber- “

        “It’s nothing, Mom,” Amber claimed bitterly. “I’m fine.”

        “It’s not fine and it’s not nothing!” Daisy exclaimed. “Amber, honey, how long has this been going on? When did it start again?”

        “It never stopped,” Amber claimed quietly, standing without even taking another bite out of her cookie or sip from her cup. “I’m going to go bathe.”

        Daisy watched with a forlorn expression as she watched Amber go.

        Amber gathered her pajamas and headed to the bathroom, getting under the shower to wash out the spaghetti sauce before getting into the hot water of the tub. And she just sat there and soaked until the water got cold and her fingers pruned.

_Maybe it’d just be better to sink under the water and never sit back up,_ Amber thought. But she shook her head, went down under the water to rinse out the remainder of the conditioner, and sat back up before any of those dark thoughts could intrude on her anymore.

        When Amber headed back down to the kitchen, her hair blow-dried and in her long-sleeved pajamas, Daisy was cleaning up from her cookie making. A plate of cookies sat on the table. Amber looked from the table to her mother at the sink.

        “Mom…?”

        Daisy turned around and dried her hands on a towel. “Wanna talk?” Amber hesitated before nodding. She held her arms and looked down, pushing her glasses up. “Okay.”

        The two took the seats at the kitchen table with a plate of cookies in front of them and each with a warm cup of hot chocolate. It wasn’t the ideal situation, it wasn’t the ideal talk to have between mother and daughter.

        “So, tell me about your day,” Daisy told Amber. “I want to hear all about it. The good and bad.”

        Amber thought back to the events of the day she’d had. She explained how she got so frustrated at the bullies who picked on her for no other reason than to so, and how angry she was that they brought others into it too. How Emily was kind, but she was going to get hurt if she kept trying to defend Amber and how she didn’t want that. How angry she was that she couldn’t stand up for herself at all.

        But then smiled, and blushed redder than a radish, when she thought of how nice Luke had been. How he’d remembered her name and had even given back her notebook. How, even in his total existence outside of everything, he’d done something so _kind_. To _Amber_.

        Daisy caught Amber’s blush and leaned forward. “So, _Amber_ ,” she said, drawing out the name. Daisy wiggled her eyebrows. “Tell me what happened. It’s a boy, isn’t it? Ooo, let me guess. It’s Luke!”

        Amber wiggled deeper into her chair and blushed even more, if it was at all possible.

        “Oh, it is!” Daisy exclaimed, clapping her hands on her knees as she sat back in her chair. “How cute!”

        “Mooooom,” Amber complained. “Please just stop.” Amber brought her knees to her chest and hide her face in them as she wrapped her arms around them. _You’re so embarrassing!_

        Daisy reached over and clasped Amber’s hand. “Oh, honey,” she said. “I’m just teasing you! You should know that I just love to catch up on all that high school gossip.”

        Amber sighed. “Yeah, Mom,” she said, bringing herself higher up in the chair.

        “Oh, Amber,” Daisy said. “You should go feed Whisper. She’s been miserable all day. I did give her a bit while you bathed, but I know she misses you and it’s almost dinner time.”

        “Sure,” Amber said, having finished her cookies and cocoa. She climbed the stairs that were in the kitchen to the second floor.

        The second door to the left was Amber’s, the first was the laundry room. The first door on the right was Daisy’s room, and the room farthest down the hall was the storage area.

        “Whisper!” Amber called out as she opened her door. “I’m home!”

        Whisper poked her head out from under her blanket in her cage. Whisper was a little white and grey bunny with bright blue eyes and a pink little nose. Amber had owned Whisper since she was a little girl, and Amber was very attached. Well, so was Whisper.

        Whisper looked up longingly at Amber as Amber opened the cage. Amber picked up the small bunny and cuddled her. By Amber’s bed was an end table, the only drawer in it contained carrots for Whisper.

        Amber sat on her thin mattress and opened the drawer and pulled out a couple carrots.

        “Can you be a good girl for me while I do my homework?” Amber asked Whisper. Whisper seemed to nod at her owner and Amber set her down on the bed.

        Amber looked around for her backpack before remembering that she’d left it downstairs. She jumped to her feet and ran down the stairs that led to the living room before quickly taking her backpack and running back to her room.

        Whisper still sat on the bed and nibbled on a carrot.

        Amber smiled at her bunny before taking her math out of her backpack.

        It was an hour later and Amber was still working on math. “So if the x goes there... hmm, I’ll have to round to fifteen… that doesn’t look right… uh, huh… Oh! That’s it! I have to move the ‘a’ to where the ‘y’ is, and if y= 13k and k= 9, I’ve got it!”

        Amber looked up excitedly from her homework to Whisper.

        Whisper just gave her a look that said _Whaaaaaaa…?_

        Amber rolled her eyes as she finished filling out her answer and closed her notebook. She’d finished her others at school and was now free to do whatever she wanted.

        “Looks like it’s writing time!” Amber said happily. She clambered off her bed clumsily and over to where her backpack had ended up on the other side of the small room.

        Amber took out her purple writing notebook that she’d decorated herself. It was decorated with her name in a dark blue marker pen and outlined by a lighter blue. _Amber Isabella Ryans_ , it said.

        On the inside was the beginning of a story Amber was writing, but she’d only gotten as far as chapter three. She’d come up with writer's block, and nothing she’d done had let up. Amber grinned over at Whisper whose head was tilted with one ear pointed out while the other was flopped down.

        “Want to hear my latest chapter, Whisper?” Amber asked. Whisper hopped over to Amber once she’d sat down on the bed again, one leg hanging off the bed, the other curled under her. Amber ran her fingers through Whisper’s grey-white fur before opening her notebook. “It was a dark night,” Amber began. “Ginny hadn’t been so scared in her life. _Where’s Tomas when I need him?_ she questioned. The wolves could be heard in the distance, and Ginny knew that soon, they'd be on her heels. She had to do something. Anything. But what? She fell to her knees and clasped her hands together. _I don’t know how to fight,_ she said. _So I ask to whoever is listening to me now, I beg of you to help me. Save me from these wolves. Don’t let me end here._ ”

        “Amber!” came the call of Daisy just as thunder clapped outside.

        Amber jumped, and she could have sworn that it was just as high as Whisper could. Amber fell onto her back, her notebook held close to her chest as she tried to calm her ragged breathing.

        “Yes Mom?” Amber called after a moment.

        “Dinner’s ready, hon,” Daisy said.

        “I’m coming,” Amber shouted. Amber stood up and picked up Whisper. “Sorry, girl,” she said. “It’s back in the cage for you. I’ll take you out for bed, ‘kay?”

        Amber shut Whisper in her cage and locked it before running down to the kitchen.

        Now, as stated before, Daisy was a single mother who worked almost twenty-four seven. She loved making quirky meals, and they didn’t have a whole lot of money.

        So Amber had gotten accustomed to eating things like chili fries with a side of spinach (uncooked and nothing else) or pear bread (made with pears instead of banana) for dinner. Maybe some tasty zucchini pie for dessert (instead of pumpkin) and orange juice to go with the meal.

        Every single one of Amber’s meals could be called ‘abnormal’, but Amber didn’t care. She loved her mother’s cooking, most of the time. But on the rare occasion that the ordered something like pizza for dinner, Amber didn’t complain.

        It made her seem almost normal, the one thing she always wanted to be.

        “What’re we having?” Amber asked as she stumbled into the kitchen. Daisy caught her arm as the young girl was about to face plant.

        “Tonight I called in some Hawaiian pizza,” Daisy sat. “Since it’s almost the weekend, I thought we could let ourselves eat a little fatter.”

        Amber giggled. “You’re just saying that because Saturday is Halloween and you want to be able to pig out on all the leftover candy,” Amber said jokingly.

        Daisy laughed. “What can I say?” she asked, handing Amber a plate with two slices of pizza. “I love my chocolate!”

        The two girls sat down at the table and dug into their pizza, turning on the TV so they could watch their favorite show.

        By the time the two episode special of the show was over, it was almost nine thirty and Daisy was yawning and stretching. Amber was almost asleep on the table.

        Daisy smiled at her daughter. “Amber,” she said quietly. “Amber, honey, come on. Let’s get you into bed.”

        “I don’ wanna ge’ up,” Amber mumbled, her glasses pushing up her face as she nestled her head further into her folded arms.

        Daisy chuckled. “Come on, sweetie,” she said. Daisy pulled Amber’s arm over her shoulder and began to help Amber up the stairs.

        Once in Amber’s room, Daisy pulled the blankets on the bed back for Amber.

        “You’re too old for me to be tucking you in,” Daisy said, kissing Amber’s forehead as she cupped her chin.

        Amber hummed, grinning slightly as Daisy pulled her glasses off. “No I’m not,” she mumbled.

        Daisy laughed. “Goodnight, Amber. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you.”

        Amber yawned as her mother walked toward the door. “Night, Mom,” she said groggily. “Love you too. See you tomorrow.”

        Amber took Whisper out of her cage and curled up on her bed, falling into a deep and restless sleep within moments.

_“Hurry!” called a girl’s voice. “We have to hurry! He’ll catch us!”_

_“I’m trying,” said another breathlessly. Amber’s eyes adjusted slowly._

_In front of her, there were two girls. Both with long hair, one with red hair that looked to be burning like fire. The other had hair black as midnight._

_The girl with black hair sank to her knees and the redhead clutched the limb of what looked like an odd-looking tree._

_“What- are you just sitting down for?” the redhead asked, trying to stay on her feet while breathing heavily._

_The black haired one shook her head. “I can’t go any farther,” she said. “I can’t. But you need to go. You can’t let him catch you.”_

_“No!” the redhead screamed. “I’m not leaving you here! Amber risked her life to save us! We can’t just ignore that! We have to keep going!”_

_“What?” Amber questioned. She walked forward and reached her hand out toward the two girls. “Who are you two?”_

_“Look out!” the redhead screeched, holding onto an arm Amber could now see was broken._

_The girl with black hair turned just as a black cat burst through the bushes. Amber realized that either the cat was huge, or the girls were rather tiny._

_“Run,” the girl with black hair said breathlessly. She was frozen in fear._

_“Not without you,” said the other._

_“Go, NOW!” the girl commanded._

_A horrible, evil laugh came from atop the cat._

_“It doesn’t matter if you run, little fairies,” said a horrible and mocking voice. To Amber it sounded exactly like the girls from school. “I’ll always catch you.”_

_“Amber, you have to stop this,” the redhead growled. “This isn’t you.”_

_“Please,” the black haired one begged. Her eyes were closed tight in fear, and she seemed about to burst into tears at any moment._

_The evil girl laughed again. “This isn’t ME?” She questioned. “Please. You. Don’t. Know. Me. Prepare to die.”_

         _“No!” Amber screamed as the cat pounced._

        There was a thump and Amber looked around.

        She gave a sigh of relief and sunk further into her bed once again. “Just a dream, just a dream,” she said gratefully.

        Whisper hopped up onto Amber’s bed and seemed to give her a glare.

        “Oh, I knocked you down, didn’t I?” Amber asked, picking Whisper up and hugging her. “I’m sorry, Whisper.”

        Amber looked over to her clock. 6:47.

        She sighed and sunk into her bed, hugging Whisper.

        Then she shot back up. “Six forty-seven?!” she exclaimed.

        She jumped from her bed and began throwing on a blue shirt and some tan capris. It was laundry day, so it was all she had left.

        “Mom!” she exclaimed. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” Amber stumbled as she tried putting her sneakers on while walking. “Mom?”

        Amber tripped and fell, only catching herself on the doorframe. When she pulled herself to her feet, she found a note taped to her door.

_Amber, sweetie, I’m sorry. I got a call in for work early this morning, and from the sounds of it, I won’t be back in until after nine tonight. Don’t wait up tonight, okay? I love you, sweetheart. I’ll see you later! Love, Mom. Oh, P.S. Your breakfast and lunch are in the fridge! It’s your favorite! And I put some of the cookies from yesterday in your bag!_

        Amber rolled her eyes and smiled. “Thanks Mom,” she whispered. “Love you too.”

        Amber pulled the ponytail holders out of her hair and began brushing it as she ate her breakfast. Then she grabbed her backpack and stuck Whisper back in her cage.

        “Bye, Whisper,” Amber said, kneeling in front of the cage. “Time for school.”

        Amber locked the house behind her as she left for her walk to school. Well, more of a run this morning since she was running late.

        Amber was breathing hard by the time she made it to her homeroom.

        “Miss Ryans, please try to be more on time,” her teacher, Mr. Mathews, reprimanded. “You’re almost late.”

        Amber nodded as she took her seat. “Yes sir,” she said quietly. “Sorry Mr. Mathews.”

        Amber blushed beet red with embarrassment as she sunk deeper into her chair.

        “You okay?” asked a voice. Amber jumped and quickly sat up so she could see who was sitting behind her. It was Luke.

        “Oh, uh, um,” she stuttered.

        Luke smiled a pure white smile. “Don’t worry about it, Amber,” he said. “Everyone knows that that’s just a face. You’re his favorite student. All he’ll do is give you a warning.”

        Amber nodded, but blushed harder as she turned back around and laid her head on the cool desk.

         _This is possibly the worst thing ever,_  Amber thought. _I know I’m his favorite, everyone else knows I’m his favorite. But I’d rather get detention than be humiliated in front of the whole class and make it even more blatantly obvious._

        Amber groaned out loud and buried her head in her arm.

        “Miss Ryans,” said Mr. Mathews. “Is something the matter?”

        Amber bit the inside of her cheek. Then she nodded. “I- I’m not feeling too well, Mr. Mathews,” she said. And it was true. That dream that she’d had was on her mind, and making her sick to her stomach.

        That voice, the voice of that fairy or whatever on the cat had sound VERY familiar. It sounded like _hers_.

        Mr. Mathews sighed. Then he waved for her to come forward. “Come get a nurse’s pass,” he said. Amber did as she was told. “I don’t understand why if students are sick they come to school,” he muttered as Amber left.

_Because some people get sick a lot but we only have so many sick days before we’re accused of skipping and/or our parents get arrested. But I’m only fifteen. What do I know?_

        Amber clutched the straps to her backpack as she walked to the nurse’s office.

        Her mind was buzzing.

        It wasn’t uncommon for Amber to get nightmares. They had become increasingly more common since the day she’d fallen into the lake just on the other side of town when she was five.

        Amber had almost drowned in the lake, but then she was pulled out by- well, by _something_. Amber had no inkling as to what or who had pulled her out. At times, she’d see a face and occasionally black hair. But all Amber could truly remember was a tugging sensation on the sleeves of her shoulders then air and light. Daisy said that Amber had been washed ashore by the waves of the lake itself. But Amber wasn’t quite so sure.

        Back then Amber had come up with a quite a few theories: fairies, water sprites, ghosts. But Amber had long since stopped believing any of those and had adopted her mother’s theory.

        Amber wiped her mind clean of any of those kinds of thoughts as she knocked on the nurse’s door. She opened it slowly.

        “Miss Adams?” Amber asked. Miss Adams looked up from her paperwork that was on her desk.

        “Good morning, Amber,” Miss Adams said with a smile. She pulled off her thin rimmed glasses and set them on her stack of paper. “Are you feeling ill? You don’t need your inhaler, do you?”

        Amber shook her head. “Just- Just an upset stomach,” she said. Miss Adams laughed lightly.

        “I can’t say I don’t blame you,” she said, searching through her desk. “With those things your mother makes.”

        “My mother makes delicious food!” Amber defended.

        “Oh! I’m not saying she doesn’t,” Miss Adams said, looking back up at the young girl. “But some of her cooking… Not everyone has a strong enough stomach.”

        Amber nodded.

        “Here,” Miss Adams said. “Suck on this for a while and go lay down. I’ll phone your mom.”

        Amber opened the wrapper Miss Adams handed her to find a green and white mint. She began walking to the bed behind the curtain.

        “Mom’s not home,” she said quietly. “She’s at work.”

        “Oh,” Miss Adams said. She chewed her lip. “Well, go lay down anyway. If you feel better in a little while, I’ll let you go back to class.”

        Amber nodded and laid down. She curled her knees to her chest and let her head hit the pillow.

_I wonder why I dreamed that,_ Amber thought. _I thought I stopped believing in fairies years ago. And the only one who had wings was the one with my voice. The one with black and purple wings. They were beautiful, though. So sparkly and shiny._

        Amber stuck an arm under her head as she thought.

        The two original fairies, the ones who seemed to be the ‘good guys’, their back were bare of any wings. Though, both had the back of their clothes shredded. Like a cat’s dirty work…

        Amber’s eyes lit up. _That’s it!_ she thought. _The black cat shredded their wings and clothes in the process. That’s why they couldn’t fly away! The fairy with black wings must have been who they were running from!_

        Amber rolled over, please with herself for figuring out what had happened in her dream. Then she sighed out of irritation.

        Because it had been _only_ a dream, nothing special.

        So Amber closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. Nothing else mattered. She was tired, ahead in her classes, and there was proof she’d been to school. She could sleep for a while.

        Her sleep was dreamless, and when she woke up, the lights were almost off they were so dim.

        Amber ran her fingers through her hair as she sat up and looked around, blinking.

        On the table across the room, Amber’s glasses were there. Amber got to her feet and stumbled over to the table. Once she put them on, she looked up at the clock and saw the time.

        “School’s over?!” she exclaimed. She grabbed her backpack from the ground and ran out of the room.

        Amber was alone in the halls until she got to the front of the school where the students were leaving.

        Amber bumped into someone and fell down on her bum from the impact. She looked up to see Jasper. Lilith was nearby.

        Lilith scoffed. “If it isn't the little skank,” she said mockingly.

        Amber picked herself up off the floor and began walking away.

        Lilith blocked her way, Bree and Shasta, right behind her. “Oh, nuh uh,” Lilith said, taking Amber’s chin and making the smaller girl look into her eyes. “You’re not going anywhere. You don’t just run into someone and get off the hook just like that. You’ve got to pay for doing that.”

        Lilith pushed Amber to the ground roughly and everyone around Amber laughed. Amber blushed with embarrassment, tears threatening to spill.

        “I _just_ want to go home,” Amber said quietly. _This isn’t good. I don’t need a confrontation. Home. Home. I need to go home._

        “You,” Lilith said, kneeling in front of Amber. She grabbed Amber’s wrist, “are not going anywhere. Not until you do a little something for me.”

        Amber tried to pull her arm free, but Lilith dug her long, freshly pressed on nails into Amber’s arm, almost drawing blood.

        Lilith smiled sickly sweet at Amber and leaned in. “You are going to go into the pumpkin patch by the graveyard and bring me a white pumpkin tomorrow night at my Halloween party,” she ordered, her voice going low and into a growl. Then she smiled happily again. “If you do, I’ll make sure you’re paid in full. A kiss from that loser on your heart?”

        Amber’s heart suddenly fluttered with the thought of Luke. She might be able to kiss him…?

        “But if you don’t, little girl,” Lilith said, growling again. “You’ll regret it. I can make your life miserable. I think bringing up that little tidbit of a rumor about you and Mr. Mathews would do… Or perhaps what your mother puts into her bread at the bakery.”

        Lilith threw Amber’s arm away as she stood. Jasper, Lilith, Bree, and Shasta laughed as they walked off.

        Amber rubbed her wrist where Lilith’s nails had dug into her.

         _I don’t want to_ , she thought, her face paling at the thought of going into the graveyard. _But I have to_.

        And of course, her mother would never let her go.  So she’d have to go when Daisy was asleep. Meaning sometime after dark.

        “This won’t turn out good,” Amber muttered.

        “What?” asked a voice. Amber jumped and looked up to see Luke.

        She blushed and looked back at her arm as she walked. “Oh, n-n-nothing,” she stuttered. “I-I jus- just have something I have to- I have to do tonight, an- and I-I’m just not- I’m just not looking forward to it.”

        Luke nodded then looked down to see what she was so interested in. That’s when he noticed her reddened and bruised arm.

        “What happened?” he asked.

        Amber clutched her arm to her chest to hide the marks. “Nothing,” Amber lied quickly. “I’m fine.”

        Luke took her arm, making sparks run through her body.

        “No, you’re not,” he said, still holding onto her wrist as he dug around in his backpack. He pulled out a small thing of gauze.

        Amber starred as Luke wrapped it gently but tightly around her arm.

        “Feel better?” he asked softly. Amber nodded slightly.

        Then she looked up. “Do you- Do you often carry around gauze in your backpack?” she asked.

        Luke smiled brightly. “Only when I think it might be needed,” he said. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

        Amber thought about saying yes, but at the thought of it blushed brightly. “N-No!” she said quickly, gesturing the same. “It’s fine! I’ll be okay! You don’t need to bother!”

        Luke’s smile faded a bit. “You sure?” he questioned. Amber nodded.

        “Y-Yeah,” she said, smiling weakly.

        Luke nodded but smiled at her. “Well, be careful tonight, ‘kay, Amber?” he called, running off. “Happy Halloween!”

        As he left, Amber sighed and sank against the lockers behind her.

         _That could have been a disaster_ , she thought. She steadied herself and began walking outside.

        The chilly air bit at her skin as she walked home, the fallen leaves from the dying trees coloring the bleak and grey world. It was always like that when it was beginning to turn from summer into fall and finally into winter.

        It made Amber sad that soon all the colors of the world would soon give way to grey, white, and black. No color, no heat, no life.

        Amber shook those thoughts off and hugged her arm tightly. She hadn’t gone to three years of counseling for those.

        As soon as Amber got home, she ran up to her room and let Whisper out of her cage before heading to the bathroom. She dug around in the medicine cabinet before finally finding her prescription.

        It’d been a while since she had to take a dose, so it was on a “need to use” basis. But… there were times when they helped.

        “Food,” Amber muttered as she looked at the label. “Gotta get- Gotta get food before taking this.” Amber took a pill out of the bottle and went back down to the kitchen.

        It took a while to find something that didn’t need cooked first in the fridge, but she finally found Daisy’s cookies. She finished up a couple before downing the pill with a large glass of water.

        With a sigh, Amber headed up to her room and sat on the edge of her bed and looked through her homework. Well, she technically didn’t have any. She’d finished it all in the classes she went to. Didn’t get the ones she didn’t go to.

        Amber sighed and looked at Whisper before eyeing the _Alice in Wonderland_ clock by her mirror. “Looks like it’s time to go,” she claimed.

        Amber took out a piece of paper from her notebook and wrote a message on it. It would go to her mom in case Daisy came in before she was back.

_Dear Mom, sorry if I’m not home yet. I just had some stuff I need to do. Don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll be fine. I have Whisper with me. Your loving daughter, Amber._

        Amber stuck Whisper, a pen, and her writing notebook in her now empty backpack. Then she taped the note to her pillow and left the house.

        It was getting darker, and Amber rubbed her arms to keep the chill from getting to them. Even though she wore a jacket, it was still cold! It was October, in Idaho. Which should have been enough for Amber to grab a coat, but she hadn’t needed one in the mornings, so she didn’t thing to do it at night.

        Whisper poked her head out of the top of Amber’s backpack and nosed Amber’s neck.

        Amber giggled. “We’ll be back home soon,” she promised, rubbing Whisper’s head. “Don’t worry! I bet we’ll be home before Mom! Then she’ll never know about the note that I lied on…” Amber trailed off.  “So, I wonder how of the myths about the pumpkin patch are true?” Amber said, giggling nervously about her attempt at changing the subject. It wasn’t a much better one. _And I’m talking to my pet rabbit. Maybe I really have gone insane._ “Ghosts haunt it because it’s right by the cemetery. Once you go in, you never come out. You’ll be cursed forever if you touch a white pumpkin…”

        Amber trailed off once again as the pumpkin patch came into view. Its large arch that was the entrance loomed over Amber like an ominous sign that something bad would definitely happen. Whisper hid back in Amber’s backpack and she gulped.

        “Why am I doing this again?” she questioned as her feet moved her toward it. Amber grabbed the straps of her backpack and took in a deep breath before blowing it out. _It’s for Mom. It’s for Mr. Mathews. And as much of my reputation and humanity as I can salvage._ “I can do this. Get the pumpkin, get out, get home. Easy as pie.”

        Amber felt a tingle go down her whole body as she walked under the arch. It made chills go down her spine.

        “This is freaky,” Amber muttered, trying to ease her chills. Some of the pumpkins were still connected to the stems, but they were carved. Amber shook her head, and the carvings disappeared. “Freaky.”

        Amber climbed over rocks, sticks, and pumpkins toward deeper into the pumpkin patch. The white pumpkins grew nearer to the graveyard, in their own little pumpkin patch. Finally, Amber was out of the orange pumpkins. The white pumpkins were a few yards away.

        Amber whipped around when she felt eyes on the back of her head.

        “Who- Who’s there?” she called out. No answer.

        Amber trudged on toward the white pumpkins, but this time she could hear footsteps behind her. Amber whipped back around once again, but there was still no one there. She pulled Whisper out of her backpack and hugged her.

        “I think we should hurry,” Amber muttered. Amber quickly turned back around and hurried to the white pumpkins.

        She did a quick scan of what would look like one Lilith would be pleased with. None of them really looked like something Lilith would be into, but to each their own.

        Amber put Whisper down for just a moment while she picked up a pumpkin. There was a loud snap, and Amber whipped around. Something hit her leg as she stood up. Whisper jumped off the pumpkin she’d originally been on. Then she scurried away.

        “Whisper!” Amber called, running after her bunny. Amber tripped over stems and vines and sticks as Whisper led her back toward the orange pumpkins.

        Something hit Amber’s other leg and she tripped as her sight went fuzzy. Amber reached out for Whisper as she fell onto the ground. There seemed to be two, no, three, rabbits that ran away, but Amber’s hand was met with nothing but hay and sticks.

        “Whisper…” Amber said softly, her voice growing hoarse and pained and her sight getting darker. “Come… back…”

        Then everything went black.


	2. Fairies

        Amber blinked her eyes open to a soft, warm glow. Amber held her head and groaned as she sat up. Then she looked around. She didn’t recognize that place. For one, everything was painted orange, and it smelled like pumpkins.

        “Where am I?” she muttered, rubbing the back of her head and looking around.

        “You’re in my home, bean,” said a girl with fiery red hair. She appeared in front of Amber upside down, her hair touching the floor.

        Amber shrieked, jumping and falling off the bed, landing on the floor. She backed away from the red-haired girl who was now walking toward her. Amber only stopped when she hit the cold, squishy wall.

_Squishy?_ Amber questioned in her head. But the thought was thrown away as the girl sank down to be sitting on the heels of her feet. “Who- Who are you?” Amber questioned.

        “I’ll be the one asking questions, bean,” the girl said, her head tilting and the look on her face menacing. “You’re in _my_ home. So, what’d they call you, bean?”

        “I’m- My name- It’s Amber Ryans,” Amber said quietly, slightly fearing for her safety. This girl- there was something about her. She looked like one of those girls who would stand up to Lilith, and were kinda dangerous because they didn’t care about getting in trouble. Some fierce, muddled up, terrifying version of Emily and Lilith herself.

        Her long, blood colored hair was up on top of her head in a tight ponytail and her eyes were a similar shade, glinting in the glow of the fire. Amber gulped, her eyes widened behind the plastic of her glasses.

_Amber’s a devil! She’s got red eyes!_

_Demon demon demon! Amber’s a demon!_

_Go back to Hell where you belong, Amber!_

        The girl wore a plain white jacket with silver strips down the seams of the sleeves over a black and white striped shirt and a red checkered skirt with long white socks and black sneakers, the items having only caught Amber’s attention after she moved away and broke the rough eye contact between the two.

        She was overall pretty in ways Amber could only dream of.

        “Amber, huh?” the girl asked, patting Amber’s cheek. Amber nodded shakily. The girl headed over to a dressing table by the bed Amber had woken up on. By it was a towel Amber guessed was hanging from a rack or something.

        The girl pulled the towel down to reveal a mirror and pulled a white bow off the table and tied it around her original ponytail holder.

        “Cute name,” she commented, breaking Amber out of her trance. “My name’s Nidrirth, but most call me Samantha.”

_I need to stop staring, staring is rude. But she’s just so pretty and- wait. How the heck does one get Samantha from Nidrirth?!_ Amber questioned in her head. Amber was snapped out of her thoughts, once again, when something hit her head. “ _Ow_!” she exclaimed. She looked up at- er, Samantha.

        “Jeez, don’t you even _try_ to catch something when it’s being thrown to you?” Samantha asked sarcastically.

        Amber looked down in her lap to see a pouch of some sort that looked like it was made of leaves. “What is it?” she questioned, picking it up.

        Samantha rolled her eyes. “It’s water,” she explained. “You looked dehydrated. I’ll take it back if you don’t want it-”

        “No!” Amber exclaimed. Then she blushed out of embarrassment. _I don’t know when the last time I drank anything is._ “Sorry, sorry. I- I’ll drink it. Thank you.”

        Samantha floated onto the bed and crossed her legs as Amber opened the top of the pouch, or rather some sort of canteen she figured. Samantha watched Amber closely as she drank, with interest like Amber was _the_ most _interesting_ thing in the world.

        Once she’d had her fill for the moment, Amber looked up at Samantha. “Wha- What?” she asked. Samantha didn’t answer. Amber looked back at her lap and the water. In the light, it looked tinted orange a bit. Amber took another drink. “Ahhh,” she said after the water had gone down her throat. Then she tilted her head slightly and smacked her tongue against the inside of her mouth, tasting the remnants of the water. “It tastes like pumpkin,” she stated simply, only a slight bit of curiosity in her voice.

        Amber looked to Samantha curiously. Samantha rolled her eyes. “Well, _duh_!” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Are you done?”

        “What?” Amber asked, blinking. _What did I do? Am I done with what? What’s going on? I don’t even know where I am or who she is! Wha- Wha- Wha-!?_

        “Drinking,” Samantha demanded, getting impatient. “Are you done?”

        “Oh,” Amber said, curling into herself as if that might hide her shame and make her disappear. She nodded and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “Yes. Yes, thank you.”

        Samantha rolled her eyes. She uncrossed her legs and stood up on the bed before jumping off it.  “Let’s go,” she said, pulling Amber to her feet.

        “Where are we going?” Amber asked, trying and failing to shake Samantha’s grip from her wrist. Samantha raised an eyebrow.

        “You ask a lot of questions, bean,” Samantha said. But she ignored Amber’s questioned, Amber noticed.

        Samantha turned to the only door Amber had seen in the whole room to open it. And Amber gasped, falling onto her bum again and only then losing Samantha’s grip on her wrist.

        “What _is_ it?” Samantha demanded irritably, turning with her hands on her hips to glower down at Amber.

        Amber blanched, all the color leaving her face. Her hands began shaking. “You- You- You-” Amber tried to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat.

        “Well?” Samantha questioned, raising an eyebrow.

        “You- You have _wings_!” Amber exclaimed. “ _Growing_! Out- Out of your back!”

        “Well, yeah,” Samantha said, rolling her eyes. “Der-ter-der. I’m a fairy, bean.”

        Amber felt like she might faint again. But instead she got to her feet and began pacing, her shaking hands going to her hair to pull at the roots.

        “This isn’t real,” she muttered, as she closed her eyes tightly and tried to even out her breathing. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real. I’m just dreaming. This is just a dream. Just a dream. Fairies aren’t _real_!”

        Samantha grabbed onto Amber’s arm, forcing Amber to stop as she let out a choked laugh. Then she knocked on Amber’s head. “Bean, in case you haven’t noticed, _I am real,_ ” Samantha growled. “And _we_ have to go.”

        “Where?”

        “Out,” Samantha said, dragging Amber by her wrist. “I have to get you out of here. You don’t belong here.”

        “Where- Where is- Where is _here_?” Amber asked as Samantha led her through a green painted hallway. _Well, it’s not truly painted, is it? It looks a bit more like there’s moss growing on it. Maybe mold. She must not clean her home very well if there’s this much… stuff._

        “Just shut up for a little while, ‘kay?” Samantha snapped. “I liked you better when you were asleep.”

        Amber shut her mouth and let Samantha drag her along. Her head dropped and Samantha soon slowed her pace, but kept her hold on Amber’s wrist.

_Oh, of course. I’m just a bother. I knew that. Why did I keep talking? I knew I should have just kept my mouth shut. Whatever happens I’ll probably deserve. I’m just a nuisance. I shouldn’t have spoken up. I shouldn’t have asked so many questions. I was just irritating her._

        Samantha looked back to Amber skeptically after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence, before pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a long and tired sigh. “We’re in the pumpkin patch,” she explained with a groan. “We’re the Fairies of the Pumpkin Patch. We live here, we protect it. It’s our home.”

        Amber’s eyes widened and she immediately looked about _. That’s not moss of mold, that’s the inside of a steam!_ _We’re in the pumpkins,_ Amber thought with awe. _At least, a pumpkin._

        Samantha opened another door, round and made of a blue tinted wood like substance and with an intricately carved handle, and loud music blared from the other side. If Amber stretched her neck, she could almost make out the outlines of shapes, though neon bright wings glowed in the dark of the room.

        “This is the closest place to home where we can exit the pumpkins,” Samantha explained as she stepped to block Amber’s view of the room. Amber turned to look up at Samantha. “It’s also the noisiest and busiest, so there’s a high possibility that no one will notice us.”

        Amber felt a breath of relief leave her. If any of the others were like Samantha, Amber _really_ didn’t want to meet them. A loud shriek and crash, followed by a booming round of laughter, drew Samantha’s attention back to the room.

        Amber took a cautious step forward to look into it as well, but Samantha turned sharply to her and the force pushed her back a step.

        “But there’s two things you must _not_ do while we’re in there,” she demanded, taking hold of Amber’s elbow. She aligned their arms so Amber could have grabbed Samantha’s elbow as well is she so wish. “You can _not_ , no matter what, let go of my hand.” The fingers on her opposite hand began tapping against her shin, small red sparks coming out of them at the contact. Headphones began to appear, slowly, on Samantha’s head. “You’ll get lost in there, and I probably won’t find you. You rarely find someone if they get lost. And whatever you do, even if you let go of my hand, _don’t utter a word_.” A red string wrapped around Amber’s and Samantha’s arms, tying them together. Amber tried to pull away, but Samantha only held tighter. The string began to glow. “ _Ever_.”

        Amber nodded quickly, scared of Samantha’s grim expression and wishing above all else to be let go.

        “Good,” Samantha said, and suddenly the string was gone. The red sparks, the headphones. She was back to being who she’d been before. “Let’s go.” Samantha walked down a set of stairs, holding tightly to Amber’s hand.

        Amber wiped her free, clammy hand on her pants as she was dragged into the dark room. She reached up and rubbed at her eyes until they’d adjusted to the dark. When they did, her jaw dropped.

_Oh my stars…_

        Amber marveled at all the fairies around her, all of them beautiful in their own way. In ways Amber could never hope to be.

        There was one with dark, midnight black hair and wings reminiscent of a firefly, if firefly wings could be black, sitting at a bar. Her arms were covered in smoky tattoos, as was the pale skin peeking out from under her black tank top.

        She spoke with a girl with a sky-blue pixie cut and blue wings, each made of three thin parts, that could have been made of aluminum. She laughed at something her companion said, her eyes closing and mouth going wide with the action. Amber could only imagine the sound was like tinkling bells.

        Samantha skirted them around a duo that could have been twins, though where the one wore blue, the other wore yellow, and visa-versa. A man in a long, Edwardian style purple coat and transparent black wings escorted a woman with light violet hair and matching wings in a blue flowered kimono in through a door.

        Then there was a girl sitting in at a table with dark skin and so many dark braids, a vivid yellow jacket draped over her shoulders. She had, by far, the most beautiful wings Amber had seen yet. They reminded Amber of a sunrise in their color and the way they faded from one into the next.

        All of them were so beautiful and so unique. So different from Amber. It made her feel incredibly insecure about herself.

        Music started playing, a beautiful song that Amber could have sworn that she’d never heard before, but somehow knew that if she started singing, she’d know all the words. She turned towards the sound, and on the stage, was someone far more beautiful than Amber had ever seen.

        Long amber locks and sunset colored eyes. A flattered, puffy dress a mixture of oranges and pinks and greens. She seemed to have two layers of wings, though they sparkled as one under the stage lights. Oranges and golds and reds and greens shimmered together and melded into a magnificent master piece.

        But her voice… a slow, mellow song full of warmth that Amber could feel in her soul. Amber closed her eyes and opened her mouth, ready to sing along to a song she didn’t know, but Samantha elbowed her in the stomach before any sounds could come out.

        “Don’t even think about it,” Samantha muttered.

        Amber’s eyes flashed open and she blushed out of embarrassment, because she’d known Samantha’s rules, but was about to knowingly break one.

_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I can’t believe I almost did that. She’s getting me out of here, she doesn’t have to get me out of here, but she is and I almost broke one of her two rules. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god._

        “We’re almost there,” Samantha whispered, only loud enough for Amber to hear, squeezing Amber’s hand. “Just hold out a little longer.” Amber nodded though Samantha didn’t look back and notice.

        Samantha took a step to the side to avoid a dancing couple and Amber could see an open door. Past it, and those climbing in and looking already intoxicated, Amber could see the night sky as a background to an overgrown looking pumpkin patch.

        “Samantha!” called out a high pitched, sophisticated voice. Samantha groaned and Amber reached up with her free hand to rub at her ear. Samantha turned, instinctively pulling Amber behind her. “How are you, darling?” asked the fairy.

        Amber stood on her tiptoes to see over Samantha’s shoulder to get a look at her.

        There were two both looking to have stepped right out of a Victorian era movie.

        The one to have spoken had a long drawl to her speech, though the sophistication and good breeding evident in it. Her long black hair was straight and adorned with lovely flowers that glowed a brilliant green and could have been made of gems. Her long, floor length dress was green and seemed to be made for a noble with far too many layers to count. And though her wings were small, they made her look even more majestic. Amber felt the need to curtsy. Her eyes, however, made Amber freeze. They were a glowing green, and though she didn’t look at Amber, Amber felt as if she would be able to stare right through her. Amber couldn’t stop staring, because she was indeed beautiful.

        But finally, Amber tore her eyes from the one in green to the other.

        Her hair was only a bit shorter than Samantha’s, but it was a beautiful golden blonde and had a braid going behind her head. Her eyes were beautiful, though Amber had never thought of cherry red eyes as being beautiful. And she had known the color all her life; she’d been ridiculed for it her _whole_ life. The girl, however, her whole being was beautiful. A dark black and purple dress that reached her knees that could actually be considered cute; fluffed out because of the layers underneath. She had a more gothic lolita look to her than anything, and Amber shook her head at the though.

_Stupid Ember and stupid anime I'm forced to watch._

        Amber’s eyes were drawn back to the girl’s neck as she fingered her choker. Made of black silk, but the blood red heart was certainly made of some kind of diamond.

        “Hiiiiiii,” Samantha said, drawing the word out and scratching the back of her neck. She looked back to Amber nervously and indirectly pulled Amber further behind her back, making Amber trip over her own two feet. “How’re you doing?”

_This is different. What’s going on here? Who are they?_

        Amber had only seen Samantha confident and tough up to now. Now she seemed almost- nervous?

        “We’re good!” the second fairy said. Her voice was like that of a child; nasally and high pitched. It didn’t hold nearly as much of the sophistication as the other. She didn’t seem any younger than Amber, but maybe as young as ten.

        “Why don’t you stay and share a drink with us?” the older one asked.

        “I really can’t-” Samantha began, taking a step back.

        “Why not?” asked the Lolita, tilting her head and pouting her lip.

        Someone began rushing towards the little group, and Amber pulled on Samantha’s hand, trying to alert her. Samantha only pinched Amber’s hand.

        “I’ve got things to do-”

        Amber tugged on Samantha’s hand again, trying to crowd just a bit closer to avoid them.

        They right ran past Amber, bumping into her shoulder roughly and causing her to let go of Samantha’s hand. She fell backwards into the crowd, Samantha spinning around as she fell and her crimson eyes going wide.

        “Samantha!” Amber screamed, covering her head as footsteps continued to walk around her. “Help!”

        “Move it!” Samantha screeched. The people around Amber moved at Samantha’s pushing and Samantha flew down and grabbed Amber’s arm. She pulled Amber back to the two she’d been talking to before.

        Then she slightly dropped Amber. Once Samantha landed by her, Amber lowered her head guiltily. Samantha glared at her.

_I’m done for, she gave me two rules and I broke them but I was so scared I thought I was going to die but that’s no excuse I broke her rules-!_

        “I’m sorry!” Amber said quickly.

        “You should be!” Samantha shouted, grabbing Amber’s upper arm tightly and squeezing as she got into Amber’s face. “I told you to not let go or talk!”

        “I- I said-I said I’m- I’m sorry, didn’t- didn’t I?” Amber questioned quietly. Amber closed in on herself, hugging her arms and wanting to curl into a ball. But she knew that wouldn’t get her anywhere. Nor would the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

        Samantha rolled her eyes and turned back to the two fairies. “ _She’s_ why I have to go,” Samantha claimed irritably.

        “Who’s she?” the younger asked. She tilted her head and peeked around Samantha to look at Amber.

        Amber looked away, unable to even _think_ of looking anyone in the face at the moment. Not that she had an easy time of it, anyway. She let hair fall into her face to hide herself further.

        Samantha quickly wrapped her arm around Amber’s neck, making Amber freeze and her blood run cold. She stopped breathing for a moment. “She’s one of those oddities, you know. Trying to be turned into a fairy.”

        The other two laughed, and Samantha forced one.

        “Oh, how silly!” the blonde girl exclaimed and clapping her hands like an excited child. “Those pixies and their offspring! Don’t they know that that’ll never happen? I don’t know why they keep giving us their pixlings!”

        “At least Samantha has a lifelong apprentice now to do all her work,” the elder fairy said. She wrapped her arm around Amber as well and hugged Amber close to her breast. She was cold to the touch, and the move only succeeded in making Amber’s heart beat rapidly. “Don’t mind if I borrow her once in a while, Sami, dear? She’s quite the catch. My last apprentice was eaten by the black cat.”

        Amber gulped and closed her eyes tight, wishing to be able to push herself away from the odd, cold hearted woman. Samantha just stared at her with a stone-cold face. “Get your hands off my pixie,” she demanded as she pulled on Amber’s arm.

        The elder fairy sighed as she did as told. “Fine, have it all to yourself,” she sighed. “But I understand completely, dear. It’s quite alright. Next time, maybe.”

        “We have to go,” Samantha said. “Goodbye.” Samantha turned on her heels and led Amber back towards the door. They were out of the pumpkin and walking on dead hay crunching under their feet and many moments later before Amber dared speak.

        She gulped and smacked her lips, then licked them. “I, um, I have- I have _so_ many questions-”

        Samantha glared over her shoulder. “You get _five_.”

        Amber nodded quickly and began tapping the tips of her fingers together. “Um, it’s, um, who- ah, um- who were they?”

        “Ugh,” Samantha said, rolling her eyes. “The blonde is Latoya. Not her real name, of course. She’s like my sister. We share the same ‘mother’, as you would call them. The other one. Her name’s Claire. She’s our ‘mother’.”

        Amber’s jaw dropped. “What?!” she exclaimed. “But you- you- you’re all around the same age!”

        Samantha smirked. “It’s a fairy thing,” she said. “We don’t grow old if we don’t want to. And if we really wanted to, we could make another fairy on the day we were made.”

_On the day they were made?_ Amber questioned, her mind whirling. _Doesn’t she mean ‘born’?_

        “So, um, what- what was up with- with that back there?” Amber asked. “You seemed kinda- kinda nervous.”

        Samantha scoffed. “It’s nothing,” she claimed. She was silent for a moment before her pace slowed. “It was when I was little. I actually used to live in the main part of the Pumpkin Patch, where it’s considered royalty territory. Claire, Latoya, and I were nobles of a kind. Well, more Claire. Latoya and I were used to battle the other nobles. That’s what the red eyes are for, obviously. Warriors for the green eyes. Latoya and I… We both have red eyes. It’s said that those with red eyes are some of the most powerful fairies. But I didn’t want to keep fighting. So I left. Claire used her power over me to bring me back. But I kept escaping. And after so many times, and an extended period of freedom, she couldn’t bring me back by force. So, she’s just waiting and bidding her time until she has the chance again. But she told me as long as I fended for myself, I was fine. But if I messed up, she wouldn’t hesitate to bring me back.

        “I couldn’t let that happen,” Samantha said softly. “I can’t.” Samantha shook her head, sure, and hopeful, that Amber hadn’t heard the last part.

        “I- I have to wonder,” Amber said slowly. “If- If Claire’s like you say, then why wouldn’t she have lied and brought you back anyway?”

        Samantha gave Amber a look of shock. “You really don’t know?” Samantha asked. Amber shook her head, wondering what the redhead was going on about. “Fairies have the inability to lie,” she explained. “We can’t lie, so that also means we can’t break promises. You’ll end up that way too.”

        “What do you mean by that?” Amber asked, tilting her head to the side.

        “You’re turning into a fairy.”

        Amber’s jaw dropped and she stood froze. _What?!_

_No. No, no, no,_ she said, mentally freaking out. _This CAN NOT be happening!_

        “Come on!” Samantha said. “Don’t you have any other questions for me, bean?” Samantha’s words stuck in Amber’s brain and gave her something to think about. But…

        Amber nodded, rubbing her arms. _Ask now, think later. Before she takes the offer back…_

        “That- That magic- binding? - thing- um, I could- I could _feel_ it. Um, what- how did you do that?” Amber asked. Samantha raised an eyebrow at Amber.

        “Magic, obviously.”

        “No, no, I- I _know_ that. But, um, I meant it- like- you- you kept tapping your fingers and- and headphones appeared.” Amber tapped her fingers together nervously. “Is- Is that just a- just a _you_ -thing or is that an all the fairies thing?”

        “Oh, that.” Samantha shrugged noncommittedly as she slid her hands into her pockets. “It’s a ‘me-thing’, as you called it. It’s how I summon my magic. Everyone has different ways of doing so. I have to dance in a – what do you beans call it, breakdance? – style. I can tap my fingers or my foot for simple things.”

        Samantha turned and looked Amber up and down, her eyes lingering on Amber’s fingers, smudged by pencil and ink, then on Amber’s bag, where her notebook peeked out. Amber unconsciously pulled the bag closer to her body and hid the notebook behind her. Samantha smirked and turned back around.

        “Just by looking at you, I can tell what your power would be,” she claimed with a wave of her hand. “You’d have a storage power. You’d have to do the work to store up power before a battle. If you run out in the midst-” Samantha snapped her fingers and Amber felt a chill go down her spine. “You’re screwed. Now no more questions!”

        Amber gripped the strap of her bag and let out a long sigh. _At least I won’t be going into any battles. Ever. Not happening._

        “Umph!” came the sound of a child. Or what Amber thought was a child. She’d gotten so lost in thought again that she’d run into someone.

        It was another fairy. Amber was almost getting _tired_ of seeing fairies around every corner. She kept getting knocked down by them, and they were all remarkably rude. Well the ones Amber had met, anyway.

        The facts didn’t stop the fairy from being beautiful, however. Much like all the others. Her hair was dark, midnight black with a hinted tint of blue. She had beautiful green blue eyes, and a light, silky kneelength dress to match. She rubbed her head with a hand covered with long, fingerless white gloves with teal lace and green and azure colored diamond designs on the top. She wore two blue/green ribbons in her hair to hold them up. But what really struck Amber was her beautiful necklace.

        She didn’t know if she’d seen it before, but she knew that it was special. She could almost _feel_ the magic radiating off it.

        “Sorry!” Amber squeaked automatically. _This girl is something different. Something special._

        “You say sorry a lot,” Samantha grumbled. “Let’s go.” Samantha tugged on Amber’s hand. But strange girl grabbed Amber’s other.

        “No, I should be the one saying I’m sorry!” the girl exclaimed. “I truly am! I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

        “No- No, it’s fine!” Amber said quickly. Anything to ease the tugging and feeling like a rag doll or tug-of-war rope.

        “You sure?” the girl asked, tilting her head. Amber nodded. “They call me Lissy!” Lissy finally seemed to pull on Amber hard enough for Samantha to let go. Samantha threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

        Amber smiled meekly. “I’m Amber,” she said. Maybe there _was_ someone nice to talk to in this crazy world she was dreaming?

        Samantha jabbed her ribs, hard. Amber winced and rubbed at the spot. “Bean,” Samantha seethed, pulling hard on the said girl, “let’s go.”

        “Samantha?” Lissy asked. She gasped. “It _is_ you!” She laughed giddily and jumped around Amber to hug Samantha. “It’s so great to see you! You never come by anymore!”

        “Because you don’t live in a pumpkin like a _respectable_ fairy,” Samantha said snappishly. “You live in a dollhouse.”

        “It’s not like it’s my fault my pumpkin’s so small!” Lissy cried, tears seeming to well up in her eyes. Amber’s expression dropped and she felt her heart go out to her.

        Samantha growled. “Yeah, yeah. Now, let go, Lissy! We have to go!”

        Lissy did let go, and Amber thought that the only fairy who’d only wanted to talk was gone for good.

        But then as Samantha jumped, with Amber in her arms, on the other side of a fallen tree and landed on the ground, Amber heard another pair of feet.

        “What are you doing?” Samantha growled, glaring over her shoulder at Lissy.

        “Following you,” Lissy said, smiling impishly. Then her face brightened and she stood next to Amber with an innocent expression. “Where are we going?”

        “I have no idea,” Amber said, looking down at her feet and brushing hair behind her ear. _She’s going to think I’m an idiot, isn’t she?_

        Samantha growled, picking up her pace. “ _We_ are going to Pyrus. _You_ are staying here.”

        “ _Pyrus_?!” Lissy exclaimed, stopping dead in her tracks and grabbing onto Samantha’s arm, preventing the redhead from going any further. “Why are you going to see him? He’s- creepy. And he’s old! And they say he practices dark magic!”

        Samantha whipped around to her in frustration. “I _know_ all this,” she stated. “But if you want to stay behind, go _right_ ahead. _We_ have to.”

        “Why?” both Amber and Lissy asked.

        Samantha rolled her head, then her eyes. She continued to talk to Lissy. “You know how dangerous it is for the beans now,” Samantha said. “She can’t stay here; _I’m_ not going to take responsibility for her. Look what happened to those who protected the blacksmith! I’m taking her to Pyrus to see if he can turn her back.”

        “Awe!” Lissy said, clasping her hands. “You _do_ have a soft side!” Amber looked at her, almost frightened. _How did any of that seem like a ‘soft side’?_

        Samantha huffed as she folded her arms and turned away. “Do not,” she said, and for once Amber had to agree. “But if the bean doesn’t get turned back before her wings grow, she’ll be _my_ problem.”

        Lissy rolled her eyes and followed as Samantha walked off. Amber had to jog to keep up. But that was also because Lissy’s feet never touched the ground. Her matching wings to her outfit fluttered every few seconds, keeping her afloat.

        “Why, um, why does Samantha keep- keep calling me bean?” Amber asked Lissy.

        Lissy looked at Amber and giggled. “’Cause you are one, silly!” she exclaimed.

        Amber shook her head slowly. “I’m a human _being_ ,” she said. “Not a bean.”

        “That’s what I called you! A human bean!” Lissy smiled cheerfully, something closed eyed and ecstatic at knowing they were right.

        Amber mentally facepalmed, but at least she knew why Samantha called her a bean.

        “Come on, guys!” Samantha called, running backwards. “Let’s go get this bean turned into a stalk again!”

        Lissy giggled as she flew after Samantha, and Amber couldn’t help at smile, just a little bit, at the _terrible_ analogy


	3. Livius

        Amber coughed as dust stirred up around her, getting in her eyes and throat and blinding her. “Where are we?” she asked.

        “Getting close to the graveyard,” Lissy said. She fluttered her wings and the dust cleared.

        “ _Graveyard_?!” Amber screeched. _Dad- Grave- Ghosts- Monsters- Cursed- No. Nononononono-_

        “Pyrus lives in a pumpkin that grew in between the pumpkin patch and the graveyard,” Samantha explained, tightening her ponytail before flipping it over her shoulder casually, as though she had no care in the world.

        “Really?” Lissy asked. She tilted her head in wonder before pounding a fist into the opposite palm. “I was _sure_ that it was one of the white pumpkins. But I’ve also heard that it’s directly in the graveyard.”

        Samantha sighed heavily, putting her hands on her hips. “Nothing _alive_ can exist in the graveyard,” she said. “It’s for dead things.”

        Amber was looking back and forth between the two fairies who’d begun to hover a couple inches above her head, her hands shaking as she clenched and unclenched her hands around the straps of her bag.

        “Wait,” she said, her tongue going dry. “Don’t you actually _know_?” Samantha and Lissy looked at each other then down and Amber.

        “Not-” Samantha began.

        “Actually,” Lissy finished.

        “No one does,” Samantha said with a grimace. “No one’s actually ever seen him. At least, not in many years.”

        “To half of the pumpkin patch fairies, Pyrus the Great is a myth,” Lissy told Amber. Amber felt faint.

        “So we’ve been walking for hours for someone who might not even _exist_?” she asked. “For a _fairy tale_?”

        “Do I look like I have a tail to you?”

        Lissy put a hand on Samantha’s mouth before she could say anything else, but nodded to Amber with a sad expression on her face.

        Amber looked down, her whole body shaking as hair fell to hide her face. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered. Tears gathered in her eyes. _I have to get home. I want to go home. Mom- Whisper- Home. Home. Home. I want to go home-_

        “Sadly, we’re not,” Samantha said, finally pushing Lissy off. She and Lissy landed in front of Amber. “But it’s the best, no, the _only_ chance we’ve got to turn you back into a human.”

        Amber looked up at them. Then she sighed, brushing the tears in her eyes away and forcing a smile. “Then let’s go,” she said. “Mom’s going to kill me if I’m not home soon.”

        Lissy smiled happily then began floating a couple inches above the ground again. Then she suddenly landed, holding her arm out to stop Samantha and Amber.

         “Wait,” she said darkly. Her eyes seemed to be glowing in the dark, her pointed ears pale and prominent as she tilted her head. “Don’t. Move. A. Muscle.” Lissy’s arms tensed, wings stopping their movement as her fingers curled into Samantha’s jacket and around Amber’s arm.

        Amber sucked in a breath. She couldn’t hear over the rush of blood in her ears and the fact that her heart was pounding so loud. If they were meant to be hiding, then she was sure that it would be her heartbeat that gave away their position.

        “Get down!” Samantha yelled, tackling Amber to the ground and ripping her out of Lissy’s hold.

        Lissy whipped around, getting in a protective stand. A pale blue circle began to form around her. Amber watched in fear as a gigantic black cat jumped at the spot they’d previously been in.

        Its fur was wiry, and looked to be in need of a serious brushing. It smelled strongly of needing a bath, and its crimson eyes bore into Amber’s as if it knew something she didn’t. Or like she was a snack. Needless to say, she was terrified.

        “Livius,” Samantha growled as she got to her feet. The headphones from before were practically solid on top of her head and her fingers were tapping on her leg in a senseless pattern.

        “Who?” Amber asked, lifting her head.

        “The Darkest fairy to ever have been part of the pumpkin patch in nearly a millennium,” Lissy said. Her pretty dress was ripped down the side, luckily only the outer layer. “The only one who would know any Darker than him would be Queen Selina. But then again, even she hasn't been seen by the Pumpkin Patch fairies in nearly a century.”

        “But I only see a-” Amber began, then felt a chill go down her spine.

        “Oh, hello my dears.” A voice that Amber could have sworn she’d once known spoke, but she couldn’t see its owner. Not until a man stepped onto the cat’s head. “I might consider making Jinx let you go, if you hand over what’s rightfully mine.”

        Pale skin, wild black hair, and glowing violet eyes were some of the first things Amber noticed of the man. His wiry, spider web like black and violet wings were beautiful. Shimmering. Elegant. His long black coat wished around his feet with each step he took.

        “What?” Lissy’s eyes went wide and she looked over at Samantha. “What is he talking about, Samantha?”

        “No idea,” Samantha said, stepping in front of Amber as if to shield her.

        “My _human_ of course,” the man said. “Give me my human, and I might spare your lives.”

        “Over my dead body,” Samantha seethed. A silver chain glowing with a crimson light started to form in her hands and she held it in front of her. “The bean’s not going anywhere with _you_.”

        The man smiled, amusement evident. “That can be arranged.” Black and purple wings spread wide and he hovered in the air. “Jinx, dinner is served.”

        The cat growled and leapt forward.

        “Run!” Lissy shouted, the fear undeniable.

        “Wrong answer,” Livius sang.

        “Alright, then fly!” Samantha shouted. She threw the chain and it landed on Jinx, tangling around his paws, before she picked up Amber by her shoulders and threw her up in the air. “Catch, Lissy!”

        “Ahhhhhh!” Amber screamed.

        “I’m already on it!” Lissy said. Lissy caught Amber bridal style and began flying as fast as she could away from the place. Samantha soon joined them at their speed and altitude.

        Amber gulped, wrapping her arms around Lissy’s neck. Then her eyes went wide as she looked over Lissy’s shoulder. “Guys.”

        “Not now,” Samantha growled, flying loops around pumpkin stems.

        “Guys!”

        “Not now!”

        “But he’s coming!” Amber screamed.

        Livius conjured an inky black bow and pulled the string taunt. When he released it, a purple blast of magic was shot at Lissy and she screamed, dropping Amber. Amber screamed as she dropped toward the ground, out of Samantha’s reach.

_So this is how it ends, huh? In a pumpkin patch, and I’m not even human. Or maybe I’m dreaming and I’ll wake up. But if I hit the ground before waking up, will I ever? Maybe that’d be a good thing, and Mom wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore…_

        “Not now!” said a voice.

        “Umph!” Amber exclaimed as she fell on something extremely silky and soft. It was a bluish grey, and so, so soft…

        She sat up quickly, hair now tangled and all over the place. She recognized that fur! “Whisper!” Amber exclaimed, moving the hair out of her face.

        “The one and only!” came the voice of Whisper.

        “I didn’t know you could talk!” Amber shouted over the wind.

        “As a human you couldn’t understand me,” Whisper said. “But you’re a fairy now! You can understand all animals!”

        “We can’t understand that cat,” Lissy pointed out, flying close to Whisper while attempting to avoid the shots Livius fired at them.

        “Except evil animals,” Whisper said. She jumped over a log. “Most cats, ravens, animals like that.”

        Lissy nodded. Amber looked over to her and noticed Lissy’s arm. It was covered in black, taking the shape of thorns and veins. “Climb on,” Amber said. “You’re hurt.”

        Lissy glanced at her arm, only pulling her hand away a bit. “I’m fine,” she said.

        “Get on the rabbit, Lissy!” Samantha demanded. “Don’t make me use your true name!”

        “You wouldn’t dare!” Lissy exclaimed. Samantha glared. “Fine!” Lissy sank into Whisper’s fur and sighed in content.

        “Hold on tightly,” Whisper shouted. “It’s going to get wild!” Amber held on tightly to handfuls of Whisper’s fur as they ran, but she couldn’t help but look behind her at their attacker.

        He was pulling his string back once again- Amber closed her eyes tightly, afraid that it might get to her-

_Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream-_

        Whisper skidded to a stop so suddenly that she almost fell off of her back. As if was, only her glasses were knocked crooked and Lissy fell into her back.

        “Hurry, into the pumpkin,” Whisper said, stooping low for the two to slide off.

        Amber and Lissy did as they were told as a rounded door took shape in the very much _orange_ pumpkin in front of them. It opened to reveal a very old man. His beard was long and grey, and his eyes seemed centuries old. He stamped his long, brown staff onto the ground, the grey, silver, and white firefly wings on his back lifting up behind him.

        “Inside, children,” he said. Amber and Lissy rushed inside, Samantha soon following. Samantha gestured them over to the round window nearby.

        Livius stopped a few feet away from Whisper as she stood guard. Amber had never seen her look ferocious before- it’s kinda hard when you’re a bunny- but somehow she was pulling it off.

        “Get out of the way, old man,” Livius demanded, completely ignoring Whisper.

        Amber’s breathing was heavy and quick. Her throat felt dry. Her vision was going blurry- Lissy placed a hand on Amber’s shoulder and squeezed,

        “No,” the old man said simply.

        “Give me the girl, old man,” Livius growled. The bow was forming in his hand again, and Amber stumbled away from the window. Samantha took her place to get a better look.

        “You’ll not be taking anyone tonight, Livius,” the old man said. “BE GONE!” The old man raised his arms above his head and a great gust of air blew at Livius, but it didn’t move him, only his coat and hair.

        Livius smirked. “I’m fine with that,” he said, raising his hand to chest level. “But tomorrow, on All Hallows Eve, the bond will be completed.”

        “Not if I have a say in it!” Samantha shouted, rolling up her sleeves and running to the door in an attempt to go after him. The old man placed a hand on her shoulder stopping her before she could leave the pumpkin.

        Livius was laughing loudly, the noise ringing in Amber’s ears. “And a say you will not have!” he proclaimed. “When the darkness reaches her heart, there will be no going back! She will be mine, and she will bring the human to me!”

        Then Livius disappeared into thin air. Lissy looked down, holding her wrist tightly. The long, white fingerless glove she’d worn on the arm that had been shot was torn to shreds. The blackness had grown since before.

        Amber gulped, looking over at Lissy before turning her attention back to Samantha and the old man. “Bon- Bonds? His? What- What is he talking about?” Amber questioned. She looked back to Lissy while her eyes went wide. “What did he- did he mean when he- when he said- he said that she- she’d bring me to him? Who’s- Who’s he talking about?”

        Lissy’s hands shook. “Me,” she whispered. “What he shot me with- it’ll grow and spread, and as soon as it reaches my heart, I’ll become Dark.”

        “Not if we can stop it,” the man said, taking bandages and crushed herbs out of a cupboard. He gestured to the couches and chairs that surrounded a small wooden table, and Lissy and Amber sat down. The man sat across from Lissy and took her arm.

        He closed his eyes and a small breeze danced around them, lifting up Lissy’s hair and the shreds of her glove. The man’s hands glowed with a silver light, and when the glow faded, there was a mix of odd silver symbols mixed in with the black thorns.

        “These symbols will slow down the growth of the Darkness,” he murmured as he spred the herbs on her arm, then wrapped it with the bandages to keep them there. “And these will help to draw it out of you. However, it will take some time to make a proper solution to banish it completely.”

        “You can do that?” Amber asked, her mouth agape.

        The man nodded, his eyes sparkling. “It would be a shame for all the Brown Eyes to disappear because the Darkness could not be taken out of them.”

        Samantha snorted from her spot guarding the front door. “This is ridiculous,” she grumbled. “I should out there and _finding_ him and _f_ -“

        “Calm, young fae,” the man said as he finished up on Lissy. “You are safe here. Please, join us.”

        Samantha growled in the direction of the door but reluctantly stomped over to the ground. She slumped into an over plush chair, pulling her legs up to her chest. Amber couldn’t imagine how anyone with wings could sit comfortably in a seat with a back on it.

        “Besides,” Lissy said, rubbing her arm and looking mournfully at her tattered gloves. She looked up at Samantha while holding it to her chest. “We’ve gotta protect the Amber, right?” Samantha flinched.

        “I know that,” she grumbled. “But you shouldn’t be using that name so casually.”

        Amber licked her dry lips, scraping her fingernails against her wrist. “He’s really after me, huh?”

        “I’m afraid so, child.”

        “But- why?” Amber asked. “Why me? I don’t- I haven’t believed in any of this stuff since I was a kid.”

        The man, seemingly not having heard the girl, exited the room. Amber turned to Lissy and Samantha helplessly, hoping one of them might be able to explain matter to her. But they were gaping at each other.

        “What’s wrong?” Amber asked.

        “He had _silver_ eyes!" Lissy exclaimed in amazement. Amber just blinked at her.

        “What’s the big deal?” Amber asked.

        Lissy’s jaw opened and shut for a moment in bewilderment. “Wh-What’s the big deal?!”

        “This is the bean we’re talking to,” Samantha said boredly. Then she sat up straight and looked directly into Amber’s eyes, pointing her finger. “Fairies with silver or grey eyes are undoubtedly _the_ most powerful of all of us.”

        “You said earlier that those with red eyes were very powerful,” Amber said, tapping her chin in recollection.

        Samantha nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Red are the most powerful eyes you can be _made_ with. But silver eyes- you can’t be made with those.”

        “So, I’m getting eye color is really important to fairies?” Amber wondered.

        “Yep!” Lissy said cheerily.

        “So… How do you… Get silver eyes?” Amber questioned carefully.

        Samantha and Lissy shrugged simultaneously.

        “You must be touched by darkness,” said the voice of the man. All three of the girls jumped and turned to him. In his hands he held a tray with three bowls of steaming broth in it. “Touched by darkness, but having fought it. Though for some, it comes with age.”

        Samantha frowned, crossing her arms and tapping her fingers on her knee. “You’re Pyrus, aren’t you?” she asked. The old man sat down by Lissy and nodded.

        “I am called Pyrus,” he said. “And each of you?” He gestured to the food. “And please, eat. You all must be hungry.”

        “I- I’m Amber,” Amber told him and Lissy forced a bowl into her hands. “These- These are my, um, friends? Lissy and- and Samantha.”

        The old man smiled. “It is always good to be in the company of friends,” he said, placing the broth on the table.

        “Can you tell us why Livius wants Amber?” Samantha questioned.

        The old man chuckled. “Oh, I shall indeed tell you a story,” he said. “Once, long long ago, Livius was of the pumpkin patch kin. He was just as any other of we fairies. I was just a young fae myself. The only difference between Livius and the rest of us were that he and his brother were the princes.”

        “Wow,” Lissy said. “Princes!” She sighed happily, going off into a dream world while drinking the broth. Samantha huffed as Lissy giggled while twirling her hair.

        “Let me guess,” she huffed, placing her still full bowl back on the table. “Livius hates his brother because he didn’t get to be king. Yeah yeah, we’ve all heard it before. What’s the big deal? We’ve all heard the same story for years. It doesn’t explain what he wants with the bean.”

        Pyrus nodded. “It actually does,” he said. “Livius and his brother Beiberos had both fallen in love with a human girl.”

        “Please don’t tell me that’s me,” Amber whined.

        Pyrus chuckled. “No,” he said. “This was many, many years ago. For years, the brothers fought over her. But the human girl eventually fell in love with a human man. Neither won the battle, but Livius blames Beiberos. So, when Beiberos married and became king, Livius was extremely bitter.”

        “Wait, didn’t the king just die recently?” Lissy asked. Pyrus nodded silently as Lissy put her empty bowl on the table as well. Lissy gasped. “I know why Livius wants you, Amber!”

        “Why?” Amber asked.

        Samantha looked at Lissy her eyes wide. “He’s going to use you to become king,” she said. “The prince has a girl he is in love with, and he’s waiting until she’s lived sixteen years to marry. But once he marries her, he’ll become king. Unless Livius marries before he does.”

        “We can’t let that happen,” Lissy said. “Destruction will be the only thing we’ll know if Livius becomes king!”

        Pyrus nodded.

        Amber’s mouth open and closed, but no words came out. “I’m only fifteen for Pete’s sake! Why does he want to marry _me_?!” She looked down at her hands, forcing them away from each other to grip at the fabric on her knees. “There’s- There’s nothing even any special about me.”

        “On the contrary, child, I do believe there’s something _very_ special about you indeed,” Pyrus said, his eyes sparkling.

        “Like what?” asked Amber quietly, her shoulders slumping.

        “Sleep now,” he said, placing a hand on Amber’s. He blew some silver dust in Samantha and Lissy’s direction, both of them slumping over into sleep. “You rest as well, child,” Pyrus ordered as he moved Samantha from her chair to lay down by Lissy. “You have a long day ahead of you.”

        Amber nodded then curled into a ball on the chair. She closed her eyes as she laid down on the other couch and listened to the quiet snores of Lissy and Samantha and the shuffling of Pyrus walking about.

        But sleep wouldn’t bring itself upon Amber for once. She was more awake than she’d ever been.

_But if it’s a dream, wouldn’t it make sense that I couldn’t sleep? Trying to force a dream within a dream._

        She sat up and looked around. Pyrus was mixing ingredients in a bowl that looked like a very small pumpkin cut in half. Though, the clinking sound it made reminded Amber of stone.

        “You said that- that you can either get silver eyes from time or being touched by darkness,” Amber said, uncertainly brushing hair behind her ear. “So, I was just wondering, um, which- which are you? If- If it’s not insulting or anything! I’m sorry! I don’t know what I was thinking!”

        Pyrus smile kindly at the girl. “There are a great many mysteries in this world, young Amber.” He spoke softly, though the words resounded in Amber’s very soul. “What do you imagine to be truth?”

        Amber understood. Well, she thought she did. She looked down to her lap with her brows furrowed.

        There were so many things she didn’t understand about the world. Amber could admit to herself that she was naive. There were a great many things Amber had been shielded from her whole life.

        But she did know that her mother said there was no such thing as a bad person. Only good people who make bad mistakes. Amber knew that evil and wickedness wasn’t like a light switch.

        It was a path, a road you take. Which path you go on during your journey- choose unwisely and you’d end up evil.

        “You- You were touched by evil and didn’t let it in,” Amber breathed, her body frozen.

        Pyrus didn’t answer the girl, only smiled and turned back to his work.

        Amber watched his careful movements for a few moments. Add a bit of this, a pinch of that. Shift it a little.

        “You should rest as well,” Pyrus said, spooking Amber out of her trance. Amber opened her mouth to say she couldn’t sleep, but Pyrus beat her too it. “Rest does not always mean to sleep. Relax, and take all those troubling thoughts from your mind.”

        Amber thought silently for a moment, then took out her notebook and pencil, beginning to write. It had always helped her when she needed it.

_Ginny had prayed to the gods to save her from her doomed fate, to save her from the awaiting death brought upon her by the wolves. But it was not the gods who saved Ginny from the wolves. But the fae. Wee little fairy creatures, who shrunk her down to their size._

        Amber wrote of Ginny’s adventures in her book, how Ginny had been saved by the fairies, and had no way to return home to her beloved, though. How Ginny so wished to return home, but was trapped inside the body of a fairy.

        Pyrus brought Amber a drink that steamed and Amber graciously took it.

        As Amber drank from the cup, which tasted like pumpkins just as the water from Samantha had and the broth from earlier as well, her eyes grew heavy, and they did indeed close with sleep. And she was out like a light


	4. Soul

        Amber blinked her eyes for a moment, not right away recognizing her position. It registered moments later as the playground not far from her house. The thing about it was that she couldn’t remember going there. Perhaps she’d gotten so deep into her thoughts that she’d forgotten?

        Amber shook the thoughts off as she spotted a small girl with long chestnut hair, roughly six years old, sat alone on a bench, away from all the other laughing and playing children. She held her hands to her eyes as she cried, and Amber felt a pull in her chest as she stepped nearer.

        Her breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of the little girl’s face. It was- Amber. Younger. Right after…

        “No. This- This is impossible.”

        Another young girl, this one with bright green eyes and short cropped black hair noticed the younger Amber. Her eyes were tilted in an offhanded, though could be mistaken as angry, expression.

        She walked over to young Amber, and the elder gaped as she walked right through her, as if a ghost.

        “ _What’s wrong with you?”_ the brunette questioned, sticking her hands into the pockets of her fur lined pink jacket.

        Young Amber looked up in surprise, her eyes rimmed in red from her tears. She looked down again, trying to hide her eyes. “ _I don’t- no one wants to play with me,_ ” she said, her scarlet eyes leaked even more tears. Her cheeks were streaked with their stains.

        “ _Well, why not?”_ the girl questioned haughtily.

        Her voice seemed uncaring, and really, she didn’t. What business was it of hers if this girl cried her heart out? Amber reached out for her, still amazed at the sight of her. She went to place a hand on the girl’s head, but her hand fell right through and she whimpered.

        “ _Everyone calls me a demon,”_ Amber mumbled softly, allowing her hair to fall over face like a curtain. “ _’Cause I got weird eyes. They’re- They’re not normal, right? Red’s not normal. And- And- And Daddy’s gone now. I don’t- Don’t- I don’t know where he went. He just- he just left me and Mommy and- and I-”_

        The girl stared at young Amber as she curled into herself, her tears falling fresh and horrid and unstoppable.

        Something so trivial had made her friendless? How absurd.

        She took her hands out of her jacket and pulled young Amber into a hug.

        “ _In that case, I’ll be your friend_.”

        Amber looked up at the girl. She wiped her at her and nodded her head in determination. She smiled, though it was wet and weak. “ _Yeah_.”

        Amber herself felt like crying as well. She remembered it clearly. The first time she’d met Jade. Jade, who’d become her best friend. Her confidant. The person closest to her. But then there was a bright flash of light and Amber stumbled backwards.

        It was raining, but the rain fell through Amber like she didn’t exist at all. A seven-year-old Amber ran on the sidewalk next to Jade, both under Jade’s umbrella and in rain coats, boots, and hats.

        They stopped, breathing heavily, at a crosswalk. The rain pounded on Jade’s umbrella, and it didn’t do too awful much. Both Amber and Jade were fairly soaked.

        “ _It really came out of nowhere_ ,” young Amber said, struggling to catch her breath. She pulled her inhaler out of her jacket pocket and began breathing with it. Her breathing slowly evened. But then she dropped it. It began flowing away in the water. “ _Oh no_!” Amber exclaimed. She began running after it.

        “ _Amber_!” Jade exclaimed. The light had just changed. She groaned and ran after her friend, the older Amber following close behind.

        Amber stumbled as she reached down to grab her inhaler. The trip caused Amber to go flying, soaking her even more than she previously had been. “ _Umph_!” Amber exclaimed when she collided with the brick wall.

        “ _Jeez, you’re such a dummy_ ,” Jade said, coming to a halt in front of Amber. She reached her hand out for Amber to take. “ _Come on, let’s go_.”

        Amber nodded and took Jade’s hand. Jade pulled her to her feet and Amber straightened her jacket. Then she happened to look over. And what she saw was a small, greyish blue anime huddled in a soaking wet box. Amber began over to it.

        Jade groaned. “ _Not again_ ,” she whined. But she followed the young Amber anyway, her older counterpart laughing.

        Amber reached out and the animal cowered. Amber hesitated before reaching out more and gently setting her hand on its head.  The animal looked up at Amber with wide blue eyes. Amber cooed happily as she picked it up.

        “ _What are you going to do with that_?” Jade questioned Amber, looking over her shoulder.

        Amber smiled. _“Keep it_ ,” she said.

        Jade’s jaw dropped. “ _Amber, you cannot just keep a mouse you found on the street.”_

 _“It’s a bunny_.”

        Jade just shook her head and opened the umbrella again. She held it up with one hand, the other in her pocket. “ _Well, come on_ ,” she said. “ _Auntie Daisy’s going to have a fit about this_.”

        “ _Mommy will love her_ ,” Amber stated, holding the bunny in her jacket to keep it warm.

        She walked with a large smile on her face by Jade and Amber watched as they walked off together, Whisper in her arms.

        Another bright light shined and Amber was in her childhood bedroom.

 _“That’s stupid_.” Eight-year-old Jade folded her arms over her own brown and orange striped shirt. Young Amber pouted as she looked down at her pink shirt. On the front was a bunny.

        “ _I think it’s cute…”_ Amber said sullenly. She pulled out the bottom of her shirt to get a better look at the bunny. It had been a couple years since they’d met, and while Amber was great friends with Jade….

        “ _Only babies would think it’s cute_ ,” Jade stated, matter-of-factly.

        “ _That’s not nice! It’s from my cousin!_ ” Amber said defensively.

        “ _Who thinks you’re a baby._ ”

_“...”_

        Amber folded her arms and turned away from Jade on the bed. Her lips were pursed in a pout. Jade sighed and facepalmed. “ _Oh, come on. You’re not mad at me, are you?”_ she questioned irritably.

        “ _Yes_ ,” Amber stated, not turning around.

        Jade sighed again. “ _Oh, fine. It looks like something a baby would wear, but it looks cute on you. Happy?_ ” she asked, putting her hands on Amber’s shoulder and looking over them at her friend.

        “ _Very!_ ” Amber exclaimed, turning to Jade with a huge smile on her face as she picked up Whisper.

        Amber rolled her eyes as the young Amber bounced over to sit by Jade, running her fingers through Whisper’s fur.

        The bright light flashed again and a slightly older Amber and Jade were by Amber’s vanity. Amber was almost getting used to it.

         “ _Do these make me look goofy?”_ ten-year-old Amber asked, looking at her new pair of glasses in the mirror across from her.

        Red rimmed, and quite large, they looked out of place on her slim face. When Amber looked into the mirror for the first time, the ten-year-old felt as if she was looking at someone else.

        “ _Yes_ ,” Jade said plainly.

        “ _Hey!_ ” Amber exclaimed, whirling around. She took off her glasses and looked down. Everything went blurry, seeing as the fact remained that she had terrible eyesight from years of staying up late to read instead of sleeping. And using only a booklight to do so.

            “ _What? You wanted my honest opinion. But you’re about the only person goofy looks good on_ ,” Jade said, with one of her rare smiles.

            She took Amber’s glasses and placed them on the girl’s face. They were slightly crooked, with hair stuck under the glasses and the glasses themselves were somewhat on the outside ears instead of on top of them like they should be.

            The girls laughed.

        “ _I still wish Mom was cool enough to let me get contacts like you,_ ” young Amber said, turning back to the mirror with a smile. She fixed her glasses as Jade groaned and rested her forehead on Amber’s back.

        “ _No, you don’t. Contacts are a pain_ ,” Jade complained, and Amber laughed again.

        Amber reached up and fixed her own glasses as her younger version did the same. After so many years, Amber had gotten used to the feeling of glasses on her face. She didn’t think she’d be able to go to contacts now even if she was given the option.

        Then the light flashed again and Amber was in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, her sixth-grade teacher.

        The younger Amber sat, pouting, as some of the girls from her and Jade’s class left for lunch. Both of the girls pulled their own boxed lunches out from under their desks. Jade opened her metal box after turning her chair to share Amber’s desk and began digging in ravenously. Amber, however, leaned onto her hand in a depressed sort of way.

        She let out a puff of a sigh and Jade finally stopped eating and looked up at her friend. She groaned. “ _What’s wrong now?”_ Jade asked, setting her fork down.

        “ _It’s bad enough_ ,” Amber muttered, “ _that I have to wear glasses. But I also have no boobs to speak of.”_ Her mind wandered back to the girls from before. Both were very well endowed indeed. Well, for twelve-year-olds, at least.

        Jade grunted and picked something up with her fingers and stuck it in her mouth. “ _Well, jeez, Amber,_ ” Jade stated with her mouth full, truly uninterested, “ _you shouldn’t worry_.”

        Young Amber looked up at her, tapping her fingers on her cheek. “ _Why not?”_ she asked.

        Jade shrugged nonchalantly. “ _Well, for starters_ ,” she said, grinning at Amber. “ _I think your boobs are great_!”

        Jade reached across the desk and put a hand on Amber’s chest. Amber squeaked and her face became bright red.

        “ _Ja-Jade_!” Jade moved her hands to Amber’s sides and began tickling her. Amber began laughing out loud. “ _Ja-Jade_!” she exclaimed through fits of giggles. “ _St-Stop! I can’t breathe_!”

        Jade immediately stopped. Not breathing was very bad for Amber’s health, after all.

        Amber wiped away laughter tears from her eyes and smiled at Jade. “ _Thank you_ ,” she said.

        Jade smiled and went back to her lunch. “ _Any time_ ,” Jade said offhandedly. “ _Besides, we’re only twelve. We’ve still got time to develop. I don’t have any either, you know._ ”

        Amber nodded and took a small bit of the sandwich her mother had packed for her. “ _Yeah, I suppose_ ,” she said softly, “ _but we’re still going to be miles behind everyone else. Don’t you want any?”_

        “ _What_?” Jade asked, wide eyed. “ _No way_!” She scoffed. “ _Boobs just get in the way of everything, especially relationships! I mean, think about it! The bigger boobs you’ve got, the more likely the guy’s just there for them. But if you haven’t got a set, you’ll know that the guy really likes you for you. He’ll be looking you in the eye, not staring at your boobs the whole time and thinking naughty thoughts._ ”

        Amber blushed red. She did every time Jade talked about such things. The raven-haired girl was very open, and unfazed, by such things. Amber could just imagine high school now. When Jade wanted a guy, because Amber knew it was only a matter of time, she’d go right up to him and tell him what she wanted.

        But as this wasn’t the first time, or even any longer in the single digits, of Jade bringing the topic up, Amber didn’t speak.

        A couple boys from their class walked into the room. One was tall, with bright blonde hair and a gentle smile. His brown eyes were mesmerizing, and most of the girls had a crush on him.

        The second was pretty much his complete opposite. His hair was stark white, he claimed it was natural but there were few who believed this, and his eyes a cold, calculating grey. Since it was allowed during the lunch period, he wore his black and teal baseball cap.

        Tyler and Jasper. The best of friends. Tyler was one of the smartest in the school, very close to Jade and Amber. Jade came first, Amber was second, and Tyler was third. Usually on tests, only half a point or so off. Jasper wasn’t too stupid either, but he didn’t try hard, and he had a horrid personality that drove most people away.

        Tyler was kind, he was on the basketball team, and it was rumored and predicted he’d go on to great things with his skill set. Jasper, like Tyler, was an athlete. But he instead played football. But nothing great was expected to come from him. His family was rumored to be a gang, some even suspected the heads.

        If they hadn’t been childhood friends, it would have been a miracle they were even friends.

        Amber looked over to the younger versions of her classmates, spotting the dark blush running up Jasper’s neck as he stood back. He was more awkward when they were kids, not so mean. Amber took a seat at one of the empty desks.

        “When did you change, Jasper? Why pick Lilith?”

        Japser stood back as Tyler approached the young Amber and Jade. “ _Oh, hi girls_ ,” Tyler said, flashing a smile at them. “ _How’re you two ladies doing this fine day?”_

        “ _I don’t see what’s so fine about now that you’re here_ ,” Jade said dryly, taking the other half of Amber’s sandwich and munching on it while leaning on her other hand. Her expression had gone from a bright smile to a cool glare in seconds as soon as he’d neared them.

        Instead of complaining about the stolen food, Amber just reached over and took what Jade had left uneaten and finished it off.

        “ _You wound me, beautiful princess_ ,” Tyler said, pretending to bow dramatically. He straightened and smiled again. “ _I’m sorry to darken your day, but I do have quite a favor to ask. Have either of seen my lunch box? I seem to have misplaced it somewhere_.”

        Jasper scoffed and folded his arms, leaning against the doorway. “ _It ain’t in here_ ,” he grumbled, eyeing Jade before sharply turning away. “ _I already told you, man_.”

        Tyler shrugged. “ _I had to try_ ,” he said to his friend.

        “ _Uh-Um, wha-what does- what does look- look like_?” Amber asked, looking up at Tyler. Her throat went dry and her breathing hitched when he gave her one of his famous gentle smiles, causing her ears to turn pink.

        “ _Green and blue_.”

        “ _Would- Um. Could it be the- the one Ash-Ashli took_?” Amber asked. She pointed over to the desk of one of her classmates. Ashli had gotten up to sharpen her pencil, and afterwards Amber had noticed that there was a green and blue lunch box that suspiciously wasn’t her own pink one. Ashli had also neglected to bring the box with her for lunch.

        Tyler turned and spotted the box.

        “ _Yes, that would be it_ ,” he said. He reached down and picked up the box. Then he opened it to examine the contents. He pulled out a cake wrapped in plastic. He grimaced. “ _Mother always forgets that I don’t like these sweets_ ,” he said. He turned and held it out to Jade. “ _Would care to eat it?”_ he asked with a closed eye smile. _“Not eating it would seem rude to Mother, but I just don’t think I can.”_

        Jade was visibly drooling. She snatched the cake from Tyler and immediately began chowing down. Tyler laughed it off and waved as he and Jasper left.

        Amber leaned on her hand again, this time with a smile on her face. “ _He likes you_ ,” she told Jade.

        The older Amber hummed, examining Jasper as he left the room. He looked over his shoulder once more at Jade. “Actually, I think it might be Jasper who likes her. Liked her.”

        Jade scoffed around her sweet. “ _That’s ridiculously. He’s just stupidly nice. It’s stupid he’s ridiculously nice.  It’s nice he’s ridiculously stupid- Never mind.”_

        “ _He definitely liked you_ ,” young Amber said cheekily, leaning over the desk to get in Jade’s face.

        Jade scoffed and waved Amber off. “ _No way_ ,” she said. “ _Besides, I’m not interested in boys. There’s someone I already like and spend all my time with._ ”

        Amber tilted her head. “ _Oh? Who?”_ she asked. Jade hit Amber on the head. _“Hey!”_ Amber exclaimed, grabbing her head. “ _Ow! That hurt! What was that for?!”_

        Jade smirked as she folded her arms. “ _It’s you, dummy_ ,” she said. “ _Who needs boys when you’ve got your best friend?”_

        Amber’s face broke into a big smile and she brought her arms away from her head. Then she latched onto Jade. “ _Yay_!” she exclaimed. “ _You’re my best friend too_!”

        “ _Hey-Hey_!” Jade exclaimed, turning pink in the cheeks and ears. “ _Am-Amber! Get off! Let go!_ ”

        “ _Never_!” Amber shouted, hugging Jade tighter.

        Jade couldn’t help but blush deeper, only for the older Amber to see.

        The light flashed again and Amber found herself on the beach to one of Idaho’s many lakes. Shouts from down the beach caught Amber’s attention, and she walked towards them.

        “ _Do you like my swimsuit_?” a thirteen-year-old Amber asked, modeling her yellow swimsuit.

        Amber paled. “No- No! This isn’t- It can’t-”

        “ _I love it! Oh, look at mine_!” Jade exclaimed, showing off her own purple and green one. Hers had a skirt.

        “ _Oh, it’s even better than mine_!” Amber said with a delighted gasp. She clapped her hands happily. “ _You look so pretty_!”

        Jade blushed deeply at getting the compliment from Amber. “ _I wouldn’t say that_ ,” Jade muttered, trying but failing to get her blushing under control.

        “ _No, really, it is_ ,” Amber said earnestly.

        Jade gave Amber a blank look. Could she be anymore oblivious?

        “ _I think yours is really cool_ ,” Jade said. Amber smiled and hugged her friend. Then she jumped back. “ _Race you to the lake_!” she shouted, running off towards the great expanse of water.

        “ _Hey, no fair, Jade_!”

        “ _Be careful, girls! Don’t go out too far_!” Daisy called from their picnic blanket. The girls waved at her, acknowledging they’d heard her, before jumping into the water.

        Amber followed slowly as they splashed at each other, jumping up and down and passing a ball back and forth over the waves.

        “ _Hehe_!”

        “ _Haha! HAHA_!”

        The girls splashed each other and raced each other, unknowingly getting farther and farther out. Until they reached the current.

        All it took was a split second of Jade looking away for young Amber to be dragged under without a sound. If the older Amber hadn’t had her eyes glued to the scene, she’d have missed it.

        “ _Amber_!” Jade called, turning around. “ _Amber_?”

        “ _JADE_!” Amber screamed before she was pulled beneath the waves again.

        “ _AMBER_!”

        Amber had never been a strong swimmer. She could, but she wasn’t strong. Water had not been a pleasant experience since-

        Suddenly, Amber was pulled beneath the water. Her hair and clothes, while dry, floated around her. She could breathe, but she couldn’t move. She was forced to watch as water flooded her young self’s mouth and nose. She tried kicking and swimming to the surface. It was getting harder for her to breath.

        Fear overtook her. Her heart was beating far too fast- she’d be pushed into an attack- She was scared for her life. She began trying harder than her hardest. But the current was dragging her even deeper down…

        And then, Jade was there. She swam down to Amber and grabbed the girl around her middle. Amber, though knowing they weren’t safe yet, immediately felt safer in Jade’s arms. Jade attempted to pull them both up to the surface.

        But she was failing, the current pulling them farther away. And Amber was quickly losing consciousness. Jade turned Amber around and pressed their lips together, successfully waking Amber up and simultaneously giving Amber the air she lacked as she pushed her breath into Amber’s mouth.

        Amber, so shocked and wide eyed, only stared at Jade. Jade pushed Amber towards the surface with all her strength, kicking to give her the extra nudge. But the kick had sent Jade down deeper. A warped black hand- seaweed, Amber had rationalized- pulled at Jade’s wrist and pulled her further into the darkness as Amber broke the surface.

        And now she was panicking, even as a rowboat was coming out to the middle of the lake where Amber was floating. “ _Jade_?” Amber called, trying to see her under the water. “ _Jade?! Jade!_ ”

        Amber took a big gulp of water and dived back under. Though it stung her eyes, she looked around for Jade. Jade was nowhere in sight…

        She didn’t have the strength to swim back up…

        Jade stared at the sky above the water as she sunk deeper, letting her mouth fall open and take in the water.

        “No!” Amber screamed, pushing herself to move where Jade was being pulled even further down. “No, no, you can’t! I need you- JADE!” But then she was gone, and the younger Amber was being pulled from the water.

        Daisy was with a man in the boat and she held Amber tight as soon as she’d been pulled up, holding her in a towel. “ _Amber, are you alright? You suddenly went under and I couldn’t find you and- Oh, Amber!_ ”

        “ _I’m fine, Mom, I’m fine_ ,” Amber sobbed. “ _But Jade- But Jade- She’s- She’s still under and I- I can’t- I couldn’t-_ ”

        “ _Honey, calm down-_ ”

        “ _Jade!_ ”

        “ _Honey, Amber, who’s Jade?”_

        Amber stared wide eyed at the scene in front of her, feeling like she could cry as it all dissolved around her, and suddenly she was falling through black.

        And then there was the doctor that gave Amber the little blue pills for her delusions- “ _I want you to take these. They’ll make you feel better._ ”

        The kids who found out about their use- “ _Amber’s insane!”_

_“De-mon! De-mon! Am-ber’s a demon!”_

_“Demon!”_

_“Demon!”_

        Amber fell to her knees, curling up in a ball and covering her head, trying to block out the sounds. “Stop it. Stop it. STOP IT!” she screamed.

        Amber’s body jerked, and she opened her eyes.

        The sound of paper flipping and quiet speaking were the only things present. The screams had been in her head. She’d been asleep and dreaming.

        At first, she didn’t register what was going on, still caught in the throes of her dream, her heart beating fast and tears still leaking from her eyes.

        “Don’t do it!” came the voice of Lissy.

        “Stupid,” Samantha snapped. “She’s just a character! She can’t hear you!”

        “How can she just be a character?!” Lissy wailed. “Her tale is so- so- so amazing! So real! Why, she could even live in the pumpkin patch!”

        “She’s not real, it’s Amber’s book,” Samantha said. “And quiet down! Amber’s still sleeping!”

        “Jade…” Amber breathed quietly, almost inaudible.

        “Great, you woke her up!”

        “You’re the one who was shouting!”

        Amber blinked her eyes slowly and sat up, wiping at them to clear her tears but in the guise of rubbing sleep from them. Amber looked over to Lissy and Samantha, hoping they hadn’t seen her tears or would ask her what she’d dreamed about. Only for her to see her open, purple notebook in the hands of Lissy.

        Amber breathed sharply through her nose before she snatched the book from Lissy’s hands and held it close to her chest. Lissy and Samantha looked at her. Amber bowed her head and let her hair fall in her face.

        “Sor- Sorry. Please, just- Please just don’t touch this, okay?” Amber asked. “I- I don’t like- I don’t likw people reading my work.”

        “Why?” Lissy asked, her jaw dropping. “It’s good!”

        Amber shook her head. “I only wish it was good,” she muttered. She sunk further into the chair and brought her knees to her chest, further concealing the notebook.

_At least there’s no hope of bringing up Jade now…_

        Samantha scoffed. “You at least have to tell us how it ends, then,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. Since the first time Amber had known here- God, that felt like ages now- Samantha had her hair down. Her white bow was forgotten on the table between them.

        Amber shook her head as she buried it further into her lap to avoid eye contact. “I- I don’t- I don’t know. I haven’t- I haven’t gotten there. Yet.”

        Samantha sighed as she sank into the couch.

        Amber finally looked up and looked around, noticing it was only them. “Where’s Pyrus?” she asked.

        “Had to go fetch herbs for my arm,” Lissy said, holding it up. Her arm was unwrapped, and the growing vines and thorns now completely covered her arm and was reaching up her neck.

        If Lissy hadn’t been in great pain, Amber could have called it almost beautiful, the design it created. It still felt weird- and somehow very _wrong_ \- that Lissy went without one of her gloves.

_I wonder how Mom’s doing? Mom… I’m sorry. I said I’d be home soon. But I might never go home. She already lost Dad. Could she stand to lose me too? But maybe it would be better if she did. I mean, I’ve been nothing but trouble. Without me, Lilith won’t be able to use her against me or have a reason to sabotage Mom’s bakery. She won’t have to worry about my hospital bills. Or therapy. Or the prescriptions. Or-_

        “We still have to ask him for a way to turn Amber back,” Samantha said, cutting off Amber’s trail of thoughts.

        Amber looked away from the window where she could see the rising sun. She chewed on her lip, shyly looking in Samantha’s direction. “Won’t- Won’t Livius just try to turn me back into a fairy again?” Amber asked. “I- I mean- he- he’s already done it- he did it once already.”

        “Cut it out, bean,” Samantha said, flicking Amber’s forehead. “Don’t be so damn gloomy about it.” Samantha stood, folding her arms and furrowing her brows, making an expression that Amber couldn’t place. “Livius won’t be able to reach you once you leave the pumpkin patch. No fairy can. We’re not allowed to leave the pumpkin patch.”

        “Technically, just our pumpkins,” Lissy inputted, looking at her scar. She held up her tattered glove. “Our pumpkins are like our outer skin. Like this, we’re just souls. Like you and your body!”

        Amber turned to Lissy, her breath gone and eyes wide. “ _What_?” she choked out.

        “You’re not in your human body,” Lissy chirped, grinning. “That’s your soul! Your body is still where it fell down, probably.”

        “Wha-What?” Amber choked. Tongue dry. Mind whirling. Space spinning. Everything blurry-

        “It’s still out there,” Samantha explained with a heavy sigh. “I didn’t bring you into my home. You just appeared. Your soul anyway.”

        Amber got to her feet, stumbling over the furniture. “No-No,” she stuttered out, pulling at her hair as he notebook dropped to her feet. “That can’t be true-”

        “I’m not exactly sure _what_ the problem is,” Lissy said, tilting her head slightly. “I mean, it’s not like you’re dead. You’re still alive. Just in two.”

        Amber turned and ran toward the door, rushing away from the pumpkin, leaving her backpack and notebook behind.

_My body- My body! Where’s my body?! Not dead- just a soul- not in my body- Dead- Dead- Dead-_

        “Child! Wait!” Pyrus yelled as he was walking back, Amber running past him at full speed. “Come back!”

        “Great,” Samantha said. “She’s _human_ , Lissy. Gesh. They’re used to their souls being _in_ their bodies. It gets all awkward when things don’t go according to what they’re used to.”

        Lissy was pale as Amber ran away. “I didn’t- I wasn’t- I didn’t mean-” She pulled the strap of her dress down to see the thorns spreading across her chest and all the breath left her body. “This is what he wanted. He wanted her away from this- Oh Luna, Samantha. That’s what he meant. I’m going to lead her right to him.”

        “No, you’re not,” Samantha growled, clenching her fists. “We’re going to turn her back into a human. And that’s the end of it.”

        “You have to go after her,” Pyrus said, placing a hand on Samantha’s shoulder. “If you don’t bring her back before the time in which she was turned, she’ll have missed her chance to become human again.”

        Samantha flew into the air. “We’ve only got a few hours,” Samantha said. “Until sunset at the latest.”

        Lissy made to follow Samantha, but Pyrus held her arm. “I must treat you. I need to slow the magic down-!”

        “We don’t have time!” Lissy cried. “Because of my stupid mistake- because of what I said- Because I wasn’t fast enough to avoid Livius’s arrow- Amber could be captured if we don’t find her. I _have_ to go. It’s _my_ fault.”

        Pyrus sighed, but let go of Lissy’s arm. “Hurry,” Pyrus urged as they flew into the sky and away. “I will have the magic circle ready by the time you return!”

        Samantha and Lissy flew after Amber, sure that she couldn’t have gotten far.

        When Daisy walked into the house that morning, coming back much later than she’d anticipated, all was quiet in the house.

        “Amber! I’m home!” she called as she hung her jacket up in the closet. No answer. “Amber, honey?”

        Daisy walked through the house; the living room was all off, the kitchen as well. The meals she’d prepared for Amber the night before were still in the fridge. No one in the bathroom. All was quiet upstairs, but Amber was a naturally early riser. If she was still in bed, then she’d be sick. And the thought worried Daisy.

        “Amber, are you in here, honey?” she asked, softly knocking on Amber’s door as she opened it.

        Amber wasn’t in her bed.

        Frantic, Daisy went everywhere in the house and outside. Anywhere that Amber could be. She finally returned to Amber’s room, and found the note taped to Amber’s pillow. And the time Amber had signed on it.

        Daisy pulled out her phone, furiously punching in the numbers. “Hello?” came the groggy voice on the other end.

        Daisy almost sobbed at the sound of his voice. “Richard- Oh my god, Richard, please, I- I don’t- She’s gone and I don’t know where she is- and oh, god, Richard, what if she’s hurt? Richard, you have to help me-”

        “Daisy, calm down,” Richard ordered, now awake. The sound of him stumbling about on the other side of the line was loud. Daisy whimpered but took in a deep breath. “Good. Now tell me what’s going on.”

        “I- I took an all-nighter last night,” Daisy whimpered. “But- But when I came home this morning- amber was gone. And- And I don’t know what to do- She took Whisper, and a back pack with a few things. Her notebook, it looks like. Probably some pencils, lord knows she can’t stop writing-”

        “Daisy, focus.”

        Daisy nodded even though Richard couldn’t see her. “She- She’s just _gone_ , Richard. And- And she didn’t take her inhaler, or her phone. And I’m worried about her. What if something _happened_?”

        “Don’t worry about it,” Richard told her. “I’m on my way over to your house. I’ll call up some people when I get there, make a search party. We’ll get the police involved if we have to. But we _will_ find her, Daisy, I promise you.”

        Daisy brushed tears from her eyes. “Thank you, Richard.”

        Things for Samantha and Lissy were not going well, either. Amber was nowhere to be found.

        “Amber!” Samantha called. “Get over here! It’s not funny! Pyrus has a way to get you human again. So come on! We’ve got to go back!”

        There was no answer, no sound. Everything was quiet. Then Lissy began sobbing.

        Samantha turned to her. “What’s up with you?” she questioned.

        “It’ll be my fault if Amber doesn’t get to become human again,” she cried into her hands. “If I hadn’t said that- if I hadn’t acted like that- then she wouldn’t have run off-“

        Samantha pulled Lissy into a hug. “It’s going to be fine,” she said. “It’s not your fault. You’re _Light_. You’re not _Dark_ , but Dark is what he put into you, and it’s just- it’s trying to take control. But it’s not gonna work. We’re going to find Amber, and we’re going to bring her back to Pyrus and he’s going to turn her human again.”

        “I hope,” Lissy said, clinging onto Samantha tearfully.

        Samantha didn’t let it show, but she was in just as much disbelief ad Lissy was.


	5. Turning

        Amber sat on Whisper’s back as Whisper ran across the field on the outskirts of the pumpkin patch. Everything seemed smaller, somehow, in the morning light from atop Whisper’s back, the chilled breeze nipping at her nose.

        Amber pulled her jacket close around her body with one hand while the other tightened its hold on Whisper’s fur. “I feel so…” Amber looked for the right word, looking to the side where a large patch of pumpkins grew. Several fairies flew out of rounded doors that appeared in the sides, going about their business. Amber huddled down into Whisper’s fur, letting it hide her from their sight. “I don’t feel dead, but I also don’t feel very alive.”

        “You feel like you’re stuck in limbo?” Whisper suggested, and Amber nodded while scratching Whisper’s back.

        “Yeah,” she muttered. “It’s strange.”

        “Indecisive,” Whisper said. “Just like when you can’t decide whether you want the pumpkin pie or the pineapple. Your body is human, but currently, your soul is fae.” There was silence as Amber thought about it.

_That’s… sort of it. But I don’t think Whisper would fully understand._

        “We’re here,” Whisper said. Amber looked up to see her body lying face down on the ground.

        Amber slid off Whisper’s back and walked over to her body, moving her hair out of her face. Her human face, at least.

        Whisper whimpered a bit, her nose twitching. “I didn’t want to leave you. But I get skittish, you know? And I thought- I thought that if I could find one of that fairies that turned you, then I might- but I couldn’t.”

        “You did enough,” Amber whispered, placing a hand on her larger body’s face. “It’s- I’m- She’s- Cold. The skin is cold.” Amber’s hands shook as she pulled them away from her real body. She stumbled a step back. “Like- I’m dead.”

        “But you’re not,” Whisper said. Amber curled her body into her human hand and Whisper came over and curled under her arm. “We’ll get you back, Amber.”

        Amber nodded before closing her eyes, wishing for nothing more than to go home and be in her bed. To wake up to the smell of Daisy’s cooking. To not have to deal with the therapy or the pills or the doctors and for things to be _normal_.

        “Over here! Come on!” a male voice called, making Amber’s eyes shoot open.

        “Look!” shouted a female voice. “Check her pulse!”

        “Are you okay?” the man asked. Amber blinked open her eyes, seeing a blonde man above her body. “Can you answer me?” The man placed two fingers to her neck before pulling them away. He turned to the woman who’d spoken before.

        Amber listened to the commotion and turned, noticing that there were people gathering around the fence of the pumpkin patch.

_I’m saved!_

        “Hey, down here!” Amber shouted, getting no response. “Hey! What’s going on?” she questioned. “What’s going on?!” The man didn’t notice her.

        “Call an ambulance,” the man told the woman. She was shaking, her eyes blown wide as she looked at the man kneeling by Amber’s body. “She’s breathing, but just barely. And she’s as cold as ice.” The man picked up Amber’s body bridal style and it fell limp. “Then someone call Daisy and tell her we found her daughter!”

        Amber fell from her body’s hand and onto the hard ground with a thump, Whisper skirting away from the body. The woman picked up Whisper and followed after the man.

        “Hey!” Amber called, getting to her feet. “Wait! Stop! Bring my body back!” But the man and woman kept running away. “Whisper! At least take me with you!”

        “I’ll be back!” Whisper shouted, but the words were broken up by the wind.

        Amber, at her miniature size, couldn’t keep up with them. She tripped and fell onto her knees. “No,” she whimpered.

        A dark shadow loomed over Amber and she turned her body to see what it was. Jinx the black cat, and his master atop his head.

        Amber emitted a small squeak as Livius smiled, an odd look that didn’t belong on his face. Someone like him should not have been able to smile so kindly.

        “My, my, Amber,” Livius said, climbing off of Jinx’s head and flying down to Amber’s side. “Look at you. All dirty and such. You’ve been crying, too.” He procured a handkerchief from nowhere and began wiping at Amber’s face. “There seemed to be your last chance to become human once more.”

 _My last chance… It can’t- It can’t be true!_ Amber was horrified at the thought.

_Home. Home. I have to go home. I need to get home. Mom. Mom. Mom needs me. Mom. At home. Alone. Along. All alone. I need to go home-_

        “There. Much better. Much prettier without all those smudges, aren’t you?”

        Amber let out a squeak and jumped back, holding out a hand in front of her, as if that would be able to stop him. “Don’t- Don’t- Don’t come near me!” she squeaked, closing her eyes tight.

        There was a soft touch to her hand had Amber shaking. The hold was not tight enough to stop her from ripping away, but the shaking and fear was what kept her still. She creaked open her eyes fearfully. Livius brushed hair out of Amber’s face and kissed her forehead gently.

        “It’s alright, don’t be scared,” he cooed. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you.”

        “You- You make- You make that hard- that very hard to- to believe when- when all you’ve done- you’ve hunted me done the entire time I’ve been here,” Amber mumbled, her chest constricting painfully. She couldn’t breathe. Her sight was blurry. Her mouth was dry. Where was her inhaler?

        Livius only continued to smile softly at Amber. “I had to find you,” he explained. “How can I protect you if I don’t know where you are?”

        Amber forced herself o breathe, looking Livius dead in the eye. “You- You don’t want to- want to marry- _marry_ me?”

        Livius’s eyes went wide before he began laughing. Not the cruel laugh of the night before. It was something… else. Something almost human. Almost normal. This might have been a man Amber could see herself getting along with- save for the fact he’d been running after her ever since she woke up and had threatened to feed Samantha and Lissy to Jinx as snacks.

        Livius wiped at his eye, the humor still evident. “What kind of falsehoods have they been telling you?” he asked, holding onto Amber’s shoulders. “I’m not the kind of man that would force himself upon a young girl.”

_I’m so confused._

        “Alright then. Up and at ‘em.”

        “What? Ack!”

        Livius picked Amber up and landed on Jinx’s back again, settling like he was about to ride a horse with a shell-shocked Amber in his arms. Livius clicked his tongue and Jinx began to move.

        Livius took Amber to his home, a white pumpkin in the middle of the white pumpkin patch. While, yes, it looked like a pumpkin, and, yes, was white, Amber only saw a dark fortress, a black castle. It shimmered the closer Jinx got to it, and Amber assumed something much like an illusion.

        Livius fluttered his wings, picking Amber up and setting her down on her feet gently once they reached the ground. But he didn’t let her go, instead told hold of her hand. As soon as Livius and Amber were inside the pumpkin, Jinx stood watch outside, to make sure no one came in and no one went out.

        Amber was led through the dark interior of the pumpkin to a dimly lit room. Livius waved his hand and candles all around the room gave it a homey glow. A bed, a bookshelf, a dresser with a mirror above it, and a window on the other side of the room were all that made up the room.

        Amber turned to Livius, who was leaning against the doorframe, watching her.

        “Why me?” she questioned, gripping her pants tightly. “Why? I’m nothing special. I never have been. I never will be. I’m just a normal, high school girl. Just regular Amber Ryans. So why’d you bring me here? All I want is to go home.”

        Amber met Livius’s eyes and he turned towards the window, not looking at her. “What _did_ they tell you about me?” he questioned, his voice harsher than it had been earlier. “That old fool Pyrus and those twittering fairies?”

        Amber gulped. “You- You and your brother both fell in love with the same human,” she said. “But she fell in love with a human. And- And then he- he married and became king. And that- and that you wanted to marry me and use me to become king.”

        “Tsk.” Livius snarled, his narrowing. “Idiots, them all. I now recall why I left the patch.” He heaved a heavy sigh, stepping more into the room. Amber startled, stumbling back onto the bed. He looked as if he wanted to go to her side, but didn’t move. “They did not tell you the full story, for I’m sure even they do not know the full of it.

        “Several years ago, I had fallen in love with a human. I was prepared to give up my magic, even my title as a prince, to be with her. However, in my studies to find a spell to make me human, I came across a prophecy given by Queen Selina; Luna, the last of the moon fae. It stated that this human would bring about the coming of the most powerful child our world has seen in thousands of years.”

        Amber was silent throughout the story, her breath gone as she sat, enraptured, by the tale Livius told.

        “I couldn’t have cared a wit about the prophecy. I couldn’t have cared if the child was mine- but my brother could. He was already married to Queen Selina when I first laid eyes on the human, he needed no other. But he wanted the child to be hid heir, and because he sire the child, he would have been immortalized.

        “But in the end, we both lost our gamble. In the effort to prevent Beiberos from becoming human, I lost her for she fell in love with another. It was a bittersweet happiness, for she, at least, was safe. But her child… is not. Beiberos had a son. A son he groomed to take her as his own bride.”

        Livius growled as he turned away. “The child- I won’t let him touch her daughter.”

        “But what has that to do with _me_?” Amber questioned, standing and placing a hand on her chest. Livius looked at Amber with a sad expression.

        “Amber Ryans, that child is you. And the woman I loved is your mother.”

        Amber’s eyes went wide, barely comprehending what Livius had just said. “No!” she screamed. “No! No no no!” Tears slipped down her face as she pounded on the wall. “This isn’t- It- It can’t be! _I_ can’t be!”

        “But you are.”

        “If it is, then let me go home. Send me home and I’ll never come here again and you’ll never have to worry about him getting to me!”

        “ _No_!” Livius shouted, making Amber fall back once more in fear. His expression was dark. A sight that Amber didn’t like. “He will find a way! If he is the son of Beiberos, he will find a way! It is far better if you stay here where I can keep an eye on you.”

        Amber was openly sobbing, just wanting to curl in on herself. “Please,” she begged. “Please. I just want to go home. I don’t want to be here. I don’t know anything that’s happening to me and I just want to go home.”

        Livius was giving Amber a sad look again, but she didn’t see any comfort in it. She only found fear and the feeling of being trapped in a cage.

        “It is not forever. Only until he finds someone else to be his queen. Then you may leave to wherever you see fit. And, after your transformation is fully complete, you may roam this castle as you see fit. But I must keep you here until I can solidify the bond.”

        He stepped out of the door and it shut, disappearing into nothing before Amber could reach it. She pounded on the wall, tears still falling from her eyes as she slid down to the floor.

        “No,” she whimpered. “Don’t- Don’t leave me in here.”

        Amber turned so her back was to the wall and curled her legs to her chest, burying her face in her knees.

_Lying. Lies. Liar. Who’s the liar? Who’s telling the truth? Pyrus? Samantha? Lissy? Livius? Home. Home. Why can’t I go home? Why me? Why is this happening to me of all people? It hurts. It hurts. I’m breathing but I can’t breathe._

_Go._

_Go._

_Go._

_Home._

_I want to go home._

_Mom? Whisper? Where are you?_

_I want to be with you._

        Amber sat up and wiped at her eyes, brushing tears away. In doing so, she caught the shine of something in the mirror.

        Curious, Amber slowly and walked over to it. And she almost fainted when she saw her reflection. Oh, it wasn’t that she was having a bad hair day or that her face was tear stained and filthy. No, she’d seen herself looking like that a lot.

        This was something entirely different.

        She had wings. Blue and pink gossamer butterfly wings, stretching twice her size.

        “Master, the circle is finished. Have they arrived?”

        Pyrus turned in the direction of Illa, his pixie apprentice. Her blind, pale eyes were turned in his direction, and she held leftovers in her basket at her waist. Pyrus turned back to watching over the field, hoping for at least a fleeting sight of Amber, or Lissy and Samantha.

        “Not yet, but we must have hope.”

        And Amber screamed.


	6. Flight

        The sun was beating down one Samantha and Lissy’s backs. It was at its highest peak in the sky, giving a reminder of how very _little_ time they had to find Amber and return her to her original state.

        Lissy groaned and stumbled into a dead pumpkin vine. Samantha looked back at her, eyeing her blackened arm. The black thorns were creeping up her neck, and the bandage around her arm did nothing for her now.

        “You okay?” Samantha asked. Lissy nodded, though her breathing was ragged.

        “I’m fine,” she claimed, pushing herself to her feet. “Let’s move on.”

        “ _No_ , you’re _not_ ,” Samantha snapped. She walked over to Lissy and pulled the bandage off of her arm. “You should have stayed behind and let Pyrus heal this.”

        Lissy shook her head stubbornly. “I _have_ to find Amber,” she said. “I- It’s my fault she’s out here in the first place. She’s- She’s at risk without us. Livius- Livius can get to her. She’ll be vulnerable.”

        Samantha sighed. “Fine,” she said. “We have to hurry. We have eight hours max before sunset. And this is a big place. A huge pumpkin patch for fairies. Especially if we’re on foot. And stop using her name so casually.”

        “It’s not her true name,” Lissy said, tilting her head. “It’s her chosen name.”

        Samantha raised an eyebrow. “When we met, she said her name was Amber Ryans.”

        Lissy shook her head, rubbing her arm and chuckling as she did so. “Human don’t know a thing about true names,” she stated. “And human babies can’t talk, so they wouldn’t be able to tell anyone anyway! So she doesn’t know her true name, and it’s okay to call her Amber. Did you really not know?”

        Samantha turned beet red, clutching the sleeves of her jacket. “How was I supposed to know _that_?! Who knows that kind of stuff anyway?!”

        “Apparently me?”

        Samantha growled and threw her hands up in the air before stuffing them in her hands deep in her pockets. “We need to get going. We’re losing daylight.

        “Of course.” They began walking again and Lissy looked up at the sky. “Where could she be?” Lissy mused.

        Samantha looked at her out of the corner of her eye before looking down to her feet and kicking a dirt clod. “That… That is a very good question, Ocubva. One we don’t know her well enough to have an answer to.”

        Lissy took Samantha’s hand. “We’ll _find_ her, Nirdith,” Lissy whispered, smiling a tilted smile. “Isn’t that what you kept telling me?”

        Samantha smirked. “Of course.” She joined Lissy in looking up. “Things changed back then. I’m… sorry I left.”

        “But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

        The deep blue sky was filled with clouds. A gathering mast of gray that foretold of coming events. Thing were looking grim, in both the pumpkin patch and the hospital.

        Emily pushed the door to the waiting room at the hospital open, her hair a mess and eyes wild. She looked around until she saw Daisy.

        “Mrs. Ryans!” she exclaimed running up to her. Daisy jumped when she heard Emily’s voice. Emily barely managed to skid to a stop in front of Daisy to avoid falling on top of her. She was out of breath and heaving terribly, but she didn’t mind that as she went on. “Mrs. Ryans, my dad was on the search team that found Amber and he told me that you two were up here- is she okay? Is she? I don’t- I just got so scared when I heard she’d gone missing, and then she was found collapsed in the pumpkin patch, and I didn’t know what to think and I know she’s been bullied and I saw it happen- I’ve been there when it happens- but I can never stop it because I’m too much of a coward and if I never got to tell her I’m sorry I don’t know what I’d do- “

        Daisy took Emily’s hand, her own cold and shaking. “Do you… want to see her?” she asked quietly.

        Emily hesitantly nodded, uncertain if she truly wanted to see the state Amber was in. Daisy nodded as well, letting Emily’s hand go as she stood. She gestured silently for Emily to follow her, and Emily did. They walked down the quiet, white, sterile smelling hallways to Amber’s room.

        When Daisy pulled the curtain back from around Amber’s bed, Emily’s breath caught in her throat.

        Amber, pale and covered in tubes and wires, laid practically lifeless on the bed. The entirety of the bottom of her face was covered in a mask, forcing her to breathe, though the heart monitor told of the fact she was still heaving trouble. Her chestnut hair was splayed out around her head and her glasses were removed, sitting on the end table nearby- she looked so odd without them to Emily’s eyes.

        When Emily ventured near and placed her hand on Amber’s arm, her skin felt cold. Knees weak, she dropped into the nearby chair.

        “I hope she’ll forgive me,” Emily said, looking down and holding her head up with her hands. “For everything I did, but mostly what I didn’t do. I hope- I just hope I’m not too late.” Daisy placed a hand on Emily shoulder as she sniffled. “I talked to Luke this morning, after I found Amber was missing. I told him, you know? ‘Cause we’re classmates, and he should know. Might have been able to help find her.” Emily shook her head. “He ran off after I told him. I haven’t been able to find him again. Doesn’t have a phone, don’t know his address. We met by chance downtown. But he- _he_ should know.”

        Emily let out a snort, holding her head between her knees by then.

        “But he doesn’t.”

        Amber, on the other side of the pumpkin patch, was sitting in her prison room in Livius’s pumpkin. Her fist was on the glass of the mirror, her face a mess with tear stains. Scared and angry and frustrated, it was all just building up.

_I want to go home. What is Mom going to think? Do they think I’m dead? I have wings now. Does that mean the transformation is complete and I’m really dead?_

        “Why?!” she screamed, pounding on the glass again. “Why do you have to be so useless?! Why couldn’t you have fought back against Livius?! Or even Lilith! Then you wouldn’t be in this stupid mess!”

        Tears fell even harder from Amber’s eyes, the wings on her back slapping together in tune with her angry emotions. She screamed again, looking down. She sniffled, rubbing at her eyes before leaning her forehead against the mirror.

        “I just want to go home.”

        But instead of stopping, Amber fell through. It was like the mirror was water as Amber slipped through it.

        “Ah- Ah!” she yelped.

        Then she was tumbling thought empty black space, feeling a little like Alice. Amber looked around, nothing in sight. Then things began fading into color and shapes below her, and Amber screamed as she was hurled towards it at an uncontrollable speed.

        Amber covered her head and closed her eyes tight, bouncing onto something spongy feeling. She blinked open her eyes, feeling disoriented.

        “Where am I?” Amber grumbled, rubbed at the back of her head. She sat up and got a good look around. Her jaw dropped as everything came into focus. “My room! This is my room! I’m home! I’m back at home! It was all a bad dream! Whisper! Whisper, where are you girl?”

        Amber jumped to her feet, running to the edge of-

        “It wasn’t a dream,” she said forlornly. Amber sat down on the edge of her desk where she was. “I’m still a midget fairy with no clue how to get back to my right size. Boy, do I seriously feel like Alice.”

        Amber looked over to her door. It wasn’t closed all the way, open just a sliver from when Daisy had run out earlier to go to the hospital after they’d found Amber’s body.

_What can I do? No. What would Ginny do?_

        Amber bit her lip, looking down at her feet. She reached over her shoulder and felt her gossamer wing.

_Ginny would take the chance and try to fly._

        Amber stood, moving over to the erasures she’d knocked down on her landing. She closed her eyes and held her arms out to her side as if she was walking a tightrope and carefully began going forward. Slowly, slowly, one foot in front of the other-

        And then there was nothing at all.

        “Work, work, work,” she chanted, as she fell towards the floor. “Come on, wings! Work!” Her wings were beating as quickly as her heart was and then- then her wings snapped out straight and she was gliding.

        Swerving up and gliding towards the door.

        Amber let out a groan as she finally reached the door, holding onto the handle for dear life. She wasn’t going to trust her wings again if they weren’t going to work- but, upon looking down, she realized she would probably have to considering that the door knob was quiet a ways’ away from the floor with her current size.

        Amber took a deep breath and used the door to brace herself as she stood. Using teeny tiny steps, Amber moved around the door to the lock, then to the other handle. With her back pressed to the door, Amber kicked out from the wall.

        Nothing happened.

        She kicked again, and the door moved a smidge. The third time Amber kicked, the door swung almost completely open and Amber yelped, holding onto the door handle for dear life.

        Once the world stopped spinning around her and her stomach had settled back into its proper place, Amber stood again.

        She whined as she looked at the floor below her and the hallway before her. She closed her eyes and thought to her wings.

_Pink and blue. Gossamer. Fluttering, fluttering, fluttering- flying._

        When Amber opened her eyes, she was above the ground, near nothing to support if she fell. Amber clenched her hands and gulped before taking a deep breath.

        “I can do this,” she told herself, slapping her cheeks. She reached into the pocket of her capris and pulled out a hair tie, using it to tie back her hair, only some stray wisps of bangs being left behind.

        “Amber? Is that you?”

        “Whisper?!” Amber called.

        “Down here!”

        Amber flew down the hall, following Whisper’s voice down the stairs and to the cage near the dining table.

        Amber landed on the ground, stumbling as she did so. She grabbed onto the metal of Whisper’s cage. “What’re you doing here?” Amber questioned.

        “That should be my question,” Whisper stated, her nose twitching. “But when I was taken from the pumpkin patch, they brought me back home. Your mom left hours ago and still hasn’t come home. I think she’s at the hospital with your body.”

        Amber looked down, her hands tightening around the bars of the cage. “Which is where I need to be,” she muttered. “In my body.” Amber took a deep breath and looked up to Whisper. “I need to get back to the pumpkin patch and get Pyrus to turn me human again. Do you know the way?”

        Whisper snorted in only the way a bunny could. “Who do you think I am?” she questioned. “Of course I do. Get me out of here and I can get you there in one or two hours.”

        “Let’s hope it’s the former rather than the latter.”

        Amber pulled the lock on the cage open, allowing Whisper to jump out. Amber jumped on her back, and Whisper was running out the pet door and towards the pumpkin patch.

        Amber looked up to the sky, following the angle of it to the shadows at her side. “Sunset. Five hours left,” she muttered, curling her fingers into Whisper’s fur.

        She looked up with her eyes dead set straight ahead.

_I’ve got to try to make it. No, I will._

        A fairy with vibrant green wings flew from pumpkin top to pumpkin top, hiding behind vines and using them to support himself. Green eyes narrowed as he scoured the pumpkin patch, others flying around jovially while preparing for the All Hollow’s Eve festival.

        But he couldn’t rest until he found _her_. She was in danger if what she said was true- she didn’t have much time left.

        He stood and fixed the royal emblem on his cloak before darting into the sky.

        He didn’t have time to wait around.


	7. Fight

        Lissy and Samantha sat down on a clump of dead pumpkin vines. Samantha sighed and Lissy cringed. Samantha looked back up at her friend. “We need to get you back to Pyrus,” she said.

        Lissy shook her head and let out a slight whimper. “I’m fine,” she said, clutching her arm. “We need to fine Amber-”

        A loud scream cut through the air. Lissy and Samantha looked up to see a small figure fall through the branches and vines until she landed face first in the dust. The figure groaned as she pulled her chest off of the ground, brushing chestnut hair out of her face.

        “Amber!” Samantha and Lissy exclaimed, jumping to their feet. They ran over to Amber as Amber rolled onto her back, groaning again. She let her body fall limp, using one of her hands to cover her face.  

        “You’re alright!” Lissy cheered, leaning down and hugging Amber tightly. Amber gasped at the strength.

        “Yea-Yeah,” Amber spluttered. “Mostly.” She gently hugged Lissy before pushing her off of her. “Still need to work on those landings, though, right?”

        “Landing?” Samantha said with an amused snort. “ _That_ was a fall.”

        Amber grinned shyly. “Yeah,” she said. “But it’s- it’s not I’ve been flying my whole life. Speaking of which- have you- have either of you seen Whisper? She told- She told me I should enjoy flying while I can but- but I lost sight of her.”

        “We haven’t seen her since this morning when you ran off with her,” Lissy said, patting Amber’s head while Samantha rolled her eyes.

        “Of course you haven’t been flying all that long,” Samantha told her, folding her arms. “You’re still a bean-” Samantha froze, finally processing her words, and slowly turned back to Amber. “Wait, _flying_?!”

        Amber pulled herself to her feet and both fairies gasped when they caught sight of Amber’s new wings.

        “Amber, you’re a- you’re a- you’re a fairy!” Lissy exclaimed.

        Amber looked down, rubbing her arm. “And I- And I might be stuck as one for- forever now,” she said. Samantha and Lissy gave her odd looks.

        “Pyrus has something that will get you back to normal!” Lissy told her, grabbing onto Amber’s hands and squeezing them tightly. “So you _will_ become human again!”

        “But- But my body- my body was- it was taken from the pumpkin patch,” Amber explained, looking up with watery eyes. “Livius told me- he said- he told me my body was the only way- I couldn’t- I can’t- it’s the only way.”

        “That- That _can’t_ be true,” Samantha growled. Her eyes narrowed as she looked off into the distance. “Livius is a liar. Don’t believe a word he says, Amber.”

        Amber gave the redhaired fairy a nervous look that said she wasn’t so sure.

        “We at least have to try,” Lissy said, squeezing Amber’s hand once more. Amber hesitated before nodding. Lissy and Samantha took Amber’s hands and began flapping their wings, guiding Amber into the air with them. But then, they stopped.

        Lissy’s hand went limp in Amber’s hold, a panicked look taking over her features before her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She dropped, and Amber’s hold wasn’t strong enough to keep her suspended, and she fell towards the ground.

        “Lissy!” Samantha screamed, diving after her, her wings looking like that of a hummingbird with how fast they were beating. Samantha caught hold of one of Lissy’s arm and the wrap on it fell away, flying off into the wind.

        Amber gasped when she saw the extent, for the first time, of the black thorns on Lissy’s body. Her entire arm, completely covered. It was reaching up her neck and visibly moving up her face now. It moved down below her dress and reached her other arm.

        Samantha fell on knees on the ground next to Lissy’s unconscious form. Amber moved her wings enough to go back to the ground, stumbling in her landing. She let herself fall next to Samantha.

        Amber looked and Samantha and gave her a worried look, her throat clenching tight and tongue going dry. “We- We have- We have to get her to Pyrus,” she said. “Now. It’s- This isn’t- This is bad.”

        “What do you care?” Samantha snapped bitterly, her hand clenching tight as Lissy shallowly breathed.

        “ _What_?” Amber asked, her voice was breathless, her eyes gone wide. She reached up and grabbed at her shirt, trying to ground herself.

        Samantha glared at her sharply. “You heard me,” she growled. “What do you care if Lissy turned Dark? She’s not your problem. She’s _my_ friend. You don’t have any connection to us besides turning up in my home. Lissy wouldn’t be turning if it hadn’t been for you! It’s your fault she’s- It’s your fault she’s going Dark! You’ve never had to sit by and watch as your friend was taken from you-!”

        There was a loud _CRACK!_ that resounded across the clearing. The tears that had been in Samantha’s eyes flew away from her and an angry red mark appeared on her cheek. Amber still held her hand up from slapping Samantha.

        Tears slipped down her face as she spoke. _Stop it, stop it, stop it_. “Don’t talk about things you know nothing of,” she said quietly, lowering her hand and head. She allowed her hair to fall in her face. _I know, I know, I know_. “When I was a little girl… I had a best friend.” _I know it’s my fault. You don’t need to tell me twice._ “Her name was Jade.” _I know what it’s like_. “She drowned.” _I know what it’s like to lose someone._ “Saving me.” _This isn’t the first time._

        Samantha was silent. Amber pressed her palms into her eyes.

         “That’s why I want to save Lissy!” she screamed. “Because- Because I- I _care_ about her, okay!? I know we haven’t know each other long enough to be considered friends, but I- but still I- I don’t- I don’t want to lose her. I don’t- I don’t want _you_ to lose her.” All out of steam, Amber dropped her hands and sniffled. She stood, wiping at her eyes. “We need to get her to Pyrus.”

        Samantha looked to the ground, knotting her hands in her skirt. “We don’t have that kind of time,” she said. “What are we going to do?” She looked up at Amber and red met red. “Your call, bean.”

        Amber sucked in a breath, turning her gaze to Lissy, her breathing labored. Her eyes were flicking back and forth behind her eyelids. Sweat was beading along her forehead. Amber’s hand shook as she reached out, retracting her hand quickly.

_She’s hurt because she was helping me escape from Livius. She’s hurt, and it’s my fault, and she didn’t even know me. She still doesn’t know me. Neither she nor Samantha do. Pyrus doesn’t. And yet they’re trying to get me back home._

_Samantha said Livius is lying, but what if they have another agenda? Livius had done nothing but claim he was trying to protect me, even if he had unorthodox methods-_

        Amber shook her head.

_That not the problem now. The problem is Lissy, and the fact we need to help her._

        Amber looked at the dried and dead pumpkins, at Samantha, at her hands, at the shimmering blue and pink colors on the ground from the sun filtering through her wings.

        Then it hit her.

        “I’m a fairy,” she said breathlessly.

        “Yeah, we’re trying to fix that,” Samantha said bitterly.

        “No, Samantha, I’m a fairy. I can use magic, right?” Amber asked, finally turning her whole body toward the other. She held her fist up to her chest. “I don’t- I don’t know how to explain it. And- And I think this is something I need to do anyway. But- But can you tell me how to use my magic?”

        Samantha blinked at Amber. “Well, yeah. But we don’t know your power type-” she began, but Amber cut her off.

        “But you know a way, don’t you?”

        Samantha sighed heavily, closing her eyes and nodding. “You won’t tell me what you’re trying to do, will you?” she questioned, making Amber shake her head. And it’s probably dangerous?” A nod. Samantha sighed once more pulling herself to her feet. She dusted the dirt off her skirt before going over to Amber. She placed her hands on either side of Amber’s head. “This’ll… take a moment. Bear with it.”

        Amber closed her eyes as Samantha began humming.

        There was an endless expanse- a canopy of life and wonder and color and _magic_. Then suddenly Amber was pushed forwards through the expanse, and objects of all sorts flew past her at breakneck speed.

        She stopped in a circle of objects, each lighting up with a note of music, a different colored glow surrounding them, as Amber looked on. A book, a pair of glasses, a stuffed rabbit, a wooden cooking spoon, and a pen.

        Amber turned in a circle, her hand reaching out for the glasses. The rabbit. The book. All she retracted it from before they could touch. But her grasp finally landed on the pen. A brilliant white light streamed around her, twisting and turning and wrapping Amber up until she could see nothing but the white.

        Words spilled from the point of the pen in the same manor, surrounding her until she was surrounded by words on a white page. She turned around once more, marveling at the sight around her.

        The scene broke apart like glass, and Amber was suddenly back with Samantha in the pumpkin patch. She sucked in a deep breath as Samantha moved away.

        Amber looked down and saw a nearly solid pen, glowing a purple light, in her hand. She looked up at Samantha in awe.

        Samantha had her arms crossed, looking thoughtful. She looked over to Amber. “Scrisa,” she said. “It means written, or fate. Occasionally destiny. You have a storage power- which means that once you’ve used up your power, you have to do whatever it is that will regenerate it. In your case, that’ll be writing. Unlike me and Lissy who have to use our abilities every time we use magic.”

        “And how- how do I use this?” Amber asked, raising the pen.

        “I’m not a writer, don’t ask me. My best guess would be to think about your magic and wanting to control it and it’ll come to you.”

        Amber nodded, closing her eyes once more. She took a deep breath, thinking of what she wanted to do. The plan she had in mind.

        When Amber opened her eyes, there was a silhouette of words in front of her. From the lack of expression, she could guess Samantha didn’t see them. With a hesitant hand, Amber raised the pen.

        “ _Scrisa_ ,” she breathed.

        And then she traced the words. They appeared for several seconds before flying to Amber’s arms and attaching themselves to her.

_The girl laid on the cold earth. Quiet, unmoving-_

_In exchange of one life for another-_

_-it is not a light switch, but instead a seed that grows-_

        Amber fell to her knees at Lissy’s side, her arms glowing purple and tingling. The pen disappeared into nothingness as she placed her hands on Lissy’s chest.

_Someone once told me there is a path to becoming evil. Becoming Dark. But Darkness is neither a light switch, a path, a road, or a wound. It is like a seed. Once the seed is plant, it is always there. You cannot take away that it was once there, and feed it and it will grow._

        Amber pressed her hands down onto Lissy’s chest, shouting “ _Scrisa_!”

_But feed another, and it will die._

        Samantha gaped as the words bled from Amber’s arms, soaking into Lissy’s skin. The inky black thorns twisted away from the words, escaping from Lissy and running into Amber.

        Amber screamed when it first touched her, but didn’t remove her hands. It was like jumping into the lake in the middle of winter. Being doused in ice cold water. It was like standing in the snow and allowing it to numb your body until you could feel nothing.

        It was all of Amber’s bad thoughts- _worthless, better off without me, what if I never went home, I don’t have to, it could have been me, I shouldn’t be here_ \- and all the _pain_.

        She couldn’t breathe, but she was breathing too much. And it _hurt, hurt, hurt_ -!

        “What did you do?!” Samantha screamed, her throat closing around her words.

        Black thorns and vines spread from Amber’s arms up her chest. Down her arms, up her neck, around her body, even on her face at a very rapid rate, crawling like bugs one her skin.

        Amber smiled at her blankly. “I saved Lissy,” she said, her voice breaking and eyes having lost their shine. “Now it’s your turn.”

        Amber began to topple over, only to be caught in a pair of strong arms. Amber looked up, seeing Livus but unable to feel it in her body to fight him.

        What was the point in it all? Why had she in the first place? Why had she saved Lissy? Why had she worked so hard to try to get back home? No one would miss her if she never returned anyway…

        Livius tsked, placing a hand on Amber’s chest. When he pulled it away, a large ball of black mist intermixed with thorns. He closed his hand as he glowered.

        “What she _did_ ,” he bit out, “was some extremely foolish. It seems a bit of the Darkness has clung onto her. Not much I can do about that here.”

        “Put her down,” Samantha growled, taking a step forward. Her headphones were becoming solid on her head, fingers pulsing with magic. Amber was still weak and limp in Livius’s arms, disoriented and drained from her first use of strong magic.

        Livius only held Amber tighter. “No. I don’t think I will.” Then he held a hand out to Samantha, an illegible word muttered under his breath, and a dark purple light began illuminating from it.

        “N-No,” Amber whimpered. “Please- Please don’t hurt her.” With a shocked looked, Livus looked down to Amber. Her body still hurt, and she could barely move, but she reached up and grabbed onto his cloak. “If- If I promise to go with you- promise not to hurt them.”

        A proud smirk found its way to Livius’s lips. “Do you know what that means for you?”

        Amber looked away from Livius. “Yeah.”

        Livius lowered his hand, using it to pick up Amber’s limp legs. “Fine then, my dear. If you promise to come with me without a fight, then I can promise you not to hurt these irritating pixies.”

        Amber nodded once more, and Samantha screamed out, a blast of red shooting towards them. She was glowering, her stance ready for a fight.

        “You didn’t think I’d just sit still and do _nothing_?” she questioned. She bit out a laugh. “Not likely. Put her down, Livius!”

        Livius raised a shield between them to keep the red blast from hitting them. “I’m afraid I cannot do that. See, there can be more delays lest I don’t get to finish preparations.” He zipped into the air and from the high vantage point, Amber could see Jinx several paces away. “Jinx!” he shouted.

        Jinx pounced towards Samantha and Lissy, and Amber screamed. “No!” she shouted, her eyes going wide. “You promised! You promised you wouldn’t hurt them!”

        “I am not the one who will hurt them,” Livius said, as if it were a casual thing. “If they are strong enough, they will live. But I cannot have them following us. Sunset is too close now.”

        “You idiot,” Samantha muttered as Jinx drew closer.

        She looked between the approaching cat and the departing Livius. She’d rather run, Like most fairies, Samantha had been taught to fear the black cat- though for Samantha, it had resulted in fear of _all_ cats- but Lissy was behind. And she wasn’t strong enough to carry her alone.

        “Samantha?” Lissy groggily sat up and looked around. “Where’s- Where’s Amber?”

        “Livius got her,” Samantha growled, her eyes hardening. “But we don’t have time for that right now. If we don’t want to die, we’ve gotta fight the black cat. If you can’t fight, stay down or run.”

        “I can fight.”

        Lissy pulled herself to her feet, only wobbling a little bit. She stood by Samantha’s side, fluttering her wings and brushing hair behind her shoulder. She put her hands on her hips, leaning towards the calculating cat.

        She grinned.  “Let’s do it.” Lissy held out her arms and spun in a circle. “ _Ordo Sanctus!_ ” she shouted, and under her touch, a circular piano appeared around her.

        “ _Moderní Tanec!_ ” Samantha shouted, pounding on the ground with her foot. Red erupted from it, blowing up around her. Her headphones fell heavy on her ears, the upbeat tempo playing to set the beat for her dance.

        “Ready, Lissy?”

        “Always, Samantha.”

        Lissy ran her fingers over the keys of the piano and spun. As Lissy’s fingers pressed the keys, a beautiful but haunting melody came out. With each note, a blue blast of power shot at Jinx, making him yowl as he failed to avoid it.

        It was made even harder by Samantha, who was having the time of her life as she danced to the music blasting through her headphones, and with every stomp of her foot on the ground, the earth shook under Jinx. Every time she waved her arms, red power shot at him.

        He jumped over their heads, only for two blasts of power to hit him in the stomach. He screeched, but landed on his feet, his tail striking out and knocking both fairies off balance. He turned as both got to their feet, striking out with his claws.

        The one paw caught on Samantha’s back, shredding her wings and she screamed in agony.

        With ragged breath, Samantha turned to Lissy. “Time for the finale!” Lissy only nodded, readying her fingers above the keys for Samantha’s cue.

        Samantha stomped on the ground, using her power to launch herself into the air, level with Jinx’s eyes, before falling back, head first with a smile on her face. She flipped and landed on her hands feet, shaking the ground with a powerful force. It knocked Jinx off balance and he yowled loudly.

        Then she spun and kicked out in Jinx’s direction, red blast shooting at him. At that exact moment, Lissy pressed multiple keys on her piano and it formed a large blast. The red and blue blast combined and flew straight for Jinx. Jinx sat there, staring at it wide eyed.

        He shrieked as it hit him, running off with the tip of his tail burning.

        Lissy looked over to Samantha and smiled as her circular piano disappeared. Samantha slid the headphones off her ears and around her neck, but they soon disappeared too.

        “We did good, didn’t we?” Lissy asked.

        “Yep, we make quite a team,” Samantha told her, nodding with a confident smirk. It faded when she slumped onto Lissy.

        “Pyrus! The magic is coming from here!”

        Pyrus and Illa came through the tall grass. Pyrus looked relieved to see Lissy and Samantha. “So you are both safe,” he said, looking at Lissy’s arm.

        “Mostly,” Lissy told him, shouldering Samantha. “But- Samantha got hurt. And Livius has Amber.”

        Pyrus sighed heavily, leaning on his staff. “I was afraid this might happen,” he explained sadly. “I will take care of Samantha. Illa has a device that will lead you to Livius.”

        Illa began patting down her pockets, looking for the contraption. Finally, she reached into the pocket of her dress that had a large bulge and held the wadded paper out to Lissy. “Ah, here! This should do, right? I think I made it right, but, you know, can’t really see so it might be wrong-”

        “I’ll use it,” Lissy said, taking the paper. “And I’ll bring her back.”

        She stepped away from the group, but didn’t get very far before Samantha grabbed her wrist. “Be careful,” Samantha warned after a few moments. “Livius- he’s dangerous. And you know what they say about blue eyes.”

        Lissy smiled at her, wrapping her arms around Samantha carefully. “Don’t worry about me,” she whispered. “I know. I’ll be careful.” She let go and flew out of Samantha’s reach and called over her shoulder “I’ll bring your bean back!”

        “If you turn Dark, Ocubva, I’ll never forgive you!” Samantha shouted, raising her fist up at Lissy.

        Lissy laughed and waved to Samantha. “I won’t!” she promised.

        Samantha watched her friend for a few moments before turning around, allowing Pyrus and Illa to lead her back to his pumpkin.

        Only time would tell if they could save their new friend.


	8. Dark

        Amber stood in front of a mirror, back in Livius’s pumpkin. Three or four fairies- Amber wasn’t sure, she wasn’t really paying attention, she was still too confused, too out of it- had worked to enchant her clothing into a long dress and her hair into curls.

        For what it was, the dress was beautiful. Dark, black. Purple fringe and designs. It was smooth against Amber’s skin, and the feather like sleeves gave her room to breathe- but a permeant chill had taken hold in Amber’s body, and a heavy weight had settled in her stomach.

        In her hands, she held a choker, something similar to what she’d seen Latoya wear- that seemed like a lifetime ago, now. Dangling from the black fabric of the choker was a large jewel, purple in color. Diamond like gems surrounded it.

_Samantha told me fairies can’t break promises. I’m a fairy now, aren’t I? Oh God, what have I done?_

        Livius was practically laying on a large couch, reclining though still appearing dignified. He waved his hand, and the fairies dispersed, leaving Livius and Amber alone. “You don’t have to put it on now,” he said, holding out his hand, and Amber dropped the choker. It floated through the air until it landed in Livius’s hand. He pocketed it. “You will wear it to complete the bond, however.”

        Amber looked away from her reflection in the mirror. “You keep talking about a bond- what is that?”

        Livius stood, coming to stand behind Amber. He placed his hand on her shoulders. “It gives the creator- I suppose in a case like this, it would the ones who turned you- their creation’s true name. The creation in turn learns their creator’s name. It creates a bond of magic between the two, where they can use each other’s magic, and are stronger for it.”

        “I thought you didn’t want me for the power.”

        “I don’t.” Livius pulled away from Amber. “So no one can take you from me, so they can’t hurt you, I need to complete the bond.”

        Amber looked back into the mirror and looked at Livius’s reflection, eyeing his purple wings.  She squeezed a hand around her wrist.

_He’s Dark, isn’t he? Didn’t they say the more purple you’ve got on your wings, the more Dark magic you’ve done?_

        Amber opened her eyes, looking at her own wings.

_What does that say about me?_

        “You’re thinking very hard.”

        Amber squeaked, turning around quickly and moving away from Livius, almost running into the mirror.

        Livius didn’t move from his spot, but his smirk did stretch across his lip. “You should let me take care of the that for now,” he told her. “Now, I’ll have you escorted back to your room while preparations are finished.”

        One of the fairies from before entered the room, taking Amber’s arm in her frozen hand and dragging her along.

        Amber looked over her shoulder at Livius, but he had turned away and was raising dark purple ribbons around the room with his magic.

        In the hospital, Daisy sat next to her daughter’s body. Amber’s skin was growing paler and white by the second, the closer it crept to sundown. Daisy’s face was wet with tears and her eyes were red.

        “Amber? Honey?” she said softly, gripping Amber’s hand tighter. “Honey, please hear me. You are stronger than this. You _can_ fight it. Please come home, honey. You’ve got so many people waiting for you.” Daisy’s throat tightened. “Amber, sweetheart, please, come home to me,” she whispered.

        Richard stepped through the doorway and placed his hand on Daisy’s shoulder. She looked up at him sorrowfully. Emily was asleep in a hospital chair nearby, curled into a ball.

        “She’ll be okay,” he promised, even if he couldn’t know if there was truth in his words.

        Lissy’s wings beat furiously as she zoomed through the pumpkin patch. The color had begun to fade from the sky after having painted everything in startling golds and oranges. But Lissy couldn’t afford to be late. She had to get to Amber, sooner rather than later.

        She needed her magic.

        Whispering her incantation, silver light surrounded Lissy’s hands. Her glass violin and paired bow appeared, and she set the bow to the strings, beginning to play. The strings of magic that came from the sound wrapped around Lissy, giving her extra speed.

        In good time, Lissy landed in front of Livius’s pumpkin. Larger than the average pumpkin, and intimidatingly white, seemingly glowing, in the new moonlight.

        The violin and bow disappeared, and Lissy steeled her nerves. “Amber, I’m coming,” she said.

        As she reached to place a hand on the pumpkin to summon an entrance, it opened wide. Lissy gulped as she stepped in.

        The darkness of the inside of the pumpkin, along with the green interior, seemed to make it seem creepier and seriously cold. Lissy’s wings were trembling.

        Lissy almost stopped dead for a moment went she felt an overwhelming amount of Dark magic sweep through the hallway.

        It whispered things to Lissy.

_You were never stronger than Samantha. She’s always beat you at everything. And she left you behind, when you thought you were friends. You’ve been beat down by everyone since the day you were created. Not even your creators wanted you for your blue eyes._

        An itch crept up the arm that will went without the glove, a shiver going down her spine. Lissy closed her eyes tight, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes as she shook her head, trying to be rid of the thoughts. “No!” she shouted, her body shaking.

_Come. You know I’m right, after all. Why do you deny it?_

        Lissy did know the voice was right. It spoke of everything that had happened in the past. “But the past is the past, this is the now,” Lissy said, lowering her hand to her sides. She continued to walk down the hallways, the voice ringing in her ears.

_Embrace the darkness. Join it. You will finally have everything you desire. Everyone will bow down to you, and you alone. You know you wish to, Lissy, you know you do…_

        “No,” Lissy said forcefully, grabbing onto her head with one hand and leaning against the wall. “No! You know nothing!” The itch grew in Lissy’s arm, and she could see the faintest outline of the black thorns returning.

_Why do you deny me? Why don’t you just give in?_

        The image of Amber came to mind. Lissy grunted and pushed off the wall, stumbling to the door at the end of the hallway. The one with the greatest power pulsing behind it. “I will save my friend,” Lissy gritted out, her teeth clenched. Her arm _burned_ , like touching dry ice.

_You could do amazing things, if you just stopped letting the fear of the Dark control you…_

        “The fear of the Dark?”

        Lissy stopped, just as her hand reached out for the doorknob. The burning sensation seemed distant, and even the chill that almost froze her wings.

        Lissy wasn’t afraid of the Dark. She just didn’t want it. She didn’t like the Dark. The cold that came with it. The respect would have been nice, something eye Blue Eyes wished for. But…

_Come now, Lissy. All you have to do is use one simple spell… Just embrace it…_

        “I won’t,” Lissy said, she gripped the doorknob and turned it.

**_DO IT!! DO IT NOW!!_ **

        “I won’t!” she screamed.

        White light burst from Lissy, surrounding her like a thin mist. Her eyes glowed, and the door in front of Lissy and many others down the hall, slammed open. The once black thorns that had begun to encase her body before turning silver and white.

        Whereas Lissy had expected to see Livius, it was not who she encountered. Not solely. Who stood at the other end of the hall was not only Livius, but also a woman. Her back was turned to Lissy, but a wave of Dark magic came from the two.

        A dark ribbon twirled in the air between the two, moving to tie around their arms. Livius held his hand out, palm up. The female fairy reached out for it, palm down. The ribbon began circling their hands.

         “Aren’t you supposed to ask if there’s anyone who objects to the union? Because I do.”

        Livius’s eyes flicked to Lissy, narrowed and unamused. “And haven’t you ever been told it’s rude to crash a party you weren’t invited to?” He turned to the female fairy, a now amused grin on his face. “It seems what you said is true. They did think this was to be a wedding, didn’t they?”

        “I told you,” the female fairy said softly, and Lissy shook at the sound of her voice. It couldn’t be-

        Livius laughed, and it resounded all throughout the room. He turned to Lissy with a smirk. “So you fought the Darkness and won,” he said. “It wasn’t my idea, you know. To place the trap there. It was her’s, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

        Then, suddenly, the female fairy began to chuckle.

        “I had hoped greatly that you would succumb to it,” the female fairy whispered, reaching up to brush curls behind her ear. “It would have made my time so much less lonely. But I guess hope is too much for someone like me.”

        The fairy turned, and it seemed as if time had slowed to a halt. Her eyes were wide and a gleaming red. Her curled hair fell perfectly around her face. The sleeves, tight around her arms, ended in frills around her wrists. As she spun around, her black skirt twirled before gracefully landing perfectly in place again.

        “No-No,” Lissy said in horror, looking at her face. Her voice was gone. She didn’t want to believe it. But it was right in front of her eyes. There was no choice but to believe it. It was-

        She smiled, but it wasn’t the sweet, shy smile Lissy had come to know.

        Livius began to summon his bow, but Amber hesitantly placed a hand on his arm, and he lowered it.

        She smiled, much like she had done to Lissy and Samantha only hours before. But it sent shivers down Lissy’s spine. “Allow me to handle this, if you will,” Amber whispered. Livius smiled at her.

        “If you insist, my dear,” he said, placing a hand on his heart and bowing into the darkness.

        Amber turned back to Lissy as soon as he had gone. “I truly wanted you to turn Dark, Lissy,” Amber said, walking down the stairs towards her. “I really did. Then, we could have fought together instead of against. I truly meant it when I said we were friends to that old man, Pyrus. But I’m afraid now, that’s not going to happen.”

        Amber stood in front of Lissy, while Lissy could only stand frozen.

        Amber reached out a hand and placed it on Lissy’s cheek. She tutted. “Your eyes,” she said solemnly. “They’ve changed. Fear… Truly something that is amazing to witness in another’s eyes. I remember, very vividly in fact, when I was so afraid. Afraid of everything.” Amber placed her other hand on Lissy’s cheek and Lissy had to force herself not to cringe at the chill. “Fear is one of the elements that let in the Darkness, you know,” Amber whispered. Her eyes held the fear she spoke of, and she lowered her voice for only Lissy to hear. "I was afraid. Weak. Full of _fear_. You say I still am, for I’m afraid that though I do not wish it, I will have to harm you." Amber's eyes darkened as she began to speak louder. “You will never be able to join me now.”

        Amber jumped back with a speed that Lissy couldn’t have ever anticipated, a wind whipping around her with it.

        “I feel alive now!” Amber shouted. “I no longer fear the Dark or anything of the Dark!” A ball of energy appeared in Amber’s hands, held out in front of her. The amulet on her throat glowed brightly. “And since I can no longer have you on my side, I will have to destroy you!”

        She shot the energy ball at Lissy and Lissy had barely any time to react. She barely dodged the shot.

        Lissy got to her feet again and stared at Amber. “Amber, please, come with me,” Lissy begged, using her wings to fly up to Amber’s level. “Let’s go to Pyrus. We’ll turn you human again!”

        Amber gritted her teeth together. “Human?” she questioned darkly, though her eyes betrayed her true feelings. “Why on Earth would I wish to return to that? _Why_?! Why when I was unwanted, unneeded, useless?! Why when I was an outcast-”

        “What about your mother?” Amber froze in her scream, her hand still ready to throw her strike. Lissy took a deep breath, looking aside. “Always, you talked about her when you were asleep. When you mumbled, you mentioned her. When you spoke about your reasons to go home, she thought of her! What about her, Amber Ryans?! What about your mother?! What will happen to her if you don’t go back?!”

        Amber’s eyes became bloodied red. “Don’t talk about my mother!” she screamed. Amber blasted at Lissy again, but this time, Lissy wasn’t so lucky to dodge it.

        It blasted her backwards and Lissy screamed in pain. She grunted when she hit the ceiling and fell to the ground. Lissy pulled herself to her feet, the white surrounding her pulsing.

        “If you won’t listen to reason, I’ll just have to knock some sense into you!” Lissy warned her. “I didn’t want to, Amber, but you force my hand!”

        She was suddenly in Lissy’s face. Amber rested a hand on Lissy’s chest and let out a blast that sent Lissy backwards into the air. Lissy managed to skid to a halt. She glared heatedly at Amber.

        Then she let out her battle cry. “ _Ordo Sanctus!_ ” she shouted. Tendrils of the white mixed with teal blue surrounded Lissy and burst out and weaved around the room. A her glass and silver violin, and a new golden bow, appeared in Lissy’s hands.

        Lissy struck a note on the violin, and a blue colored spark, woven with silver, shot towards Amber. Amber dodged it, but Lissy was only beginning. She closed her eyes and let the notes come to her. With every note, power was blasted at Amber.

        Amber in turn shot at Lissy, dodged, or blocked the attack.

        Then Amber flew high, towards the ceiling. Lissy followed her. She held the violin out and it changed into a flute. Lissy brought it to her lips and began to play.

        A haunting melody was brought forth. One that caught Amber’s interest, almost enough to hypnotize her. But alas, it was not enough.

        Amber was brought out of her stupor when one of the silver power bursts was shot at her. Amber created a shield around herself to prevent the blasts from hitting her. They bounced harmlessly off the light purple shield and dissipated.

        Lissy brought the flute away from her lips, breathing heavily. “Amber, please, we have to stop this,” she begged. “Please, come back…”

        “I will not repeat myself again!” Amber shouted. “No! I will not return!”

        With that, Amber raised her hands above her head and shot the blast at Lissy. Lissy, exhausted, made no move to move. Instead, she closed her eyes.

        It hit her, and Lissy felt as if she was burning up. Electricity crackled against her skin. Her bones and skin felt like they were trying to switch places. Lissy’s limbs and joints screamed in pain. Her body was thrown backwards and collided with the glass window, shattering it on impact and flying out.

        Lissy landed on the packed dirt outside. Her dress and glove were shredded beyond repair. Her arms, legs, face, and torso were scratched and bleeding. But the most pain came from her back. Lissy didn’t have to look to know her wings were torn greatly.

        Lissy cracked open her eyes and saw Amber land in front of her. Lissy raised her eyes to Amber’s, but couldn’t see the old Amber in there anywhere. Only the amulet and it’s bright glow on her neck.

        Lissy swung her arm out, ready to grab the amulet. Amber smacked her arm away and stepped on her chest, keeping Lissy pinned to the ground. She looked down at Lissy in disgust. Amber raised her hand involuntarily. “It is time for your demise,” she said softly, pain enveloping her voice. “Goodbye, Lissy.”

        Lissy closed her eyes in defeat. She couldn’t- couldn’t move anyway. There was no point fighting it. "I'm- I’m sorry I couldn't save you," Lissy managed to croak out. Tears spilled from her eyes as she waited for the death that was to come.

        “Go,” a voice choked out. Lissy’s eyes shot open. Amber griped one of her wrists, holding it down, though the power still built. She stumbled back, glass cracking under her feet. “Go,” she said, louder this time. “Get out of here!” With tears in her eyes, Amber looked at Lissy. “Please, hurry! I don’t know how long I can hold it! Save yourself!”

        Lissy just stared at Amber, and Amber nodded grimly to Lissy. Lissy used all her strength to pull herself to her feet. As she walked past, she picked the flute from the ground. It wouldn’t do much as to heal her, but it would restore some of her energy. She began to play, a tune both upbeat and mournful.

        “I don’t want to leave you behind,” Lissy said, clutching the flute to her chest as she ran. Tears threatened her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

        She could hear when Amber lost control to her amulet, and screamed in anger while the girl inside screamed in pain.

        Livius appeared at Amber’s side. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, go after the pixie if it so pleases you,” he said. Amber nodded and began racing after Lissy. Livius sighed deeply as he turned to his cat. “Jinx, follow her. I have yet to gain her true name. See that she comes back.”


	9. Truth

        From the depth of the white pumpkins, the green fairy heard the scream of anger and pain. A voice he knew all too well, a sound she should not have had to make.

        He stood, zipping into the sky and flying as quickly as he could for the sound. He needed to save her. After all, his uncle lived in the white pumpkins. Who knew what he was up to if _he_ had her.

        “Hey you!”

        The green fairy turned to see a small gray pixie flying at his level. She put her hands on her hips while sizing him up. She pointed at him.

        “I know you! So you, come with me! I need you to help me save my master!”

        The green fairy’s eyes widened. “What…?”

        “She’s in danger right now and I don’t have enough magic to even sustain this form long enough let alone save her! You heard that scream, didn’t you?” She folded her arms, gray hair falling over her shoulders.

        The green fairy nodded in understanding. “Of course. Let’s go.”

        Lissy ran as best she could through the thicket. She was still in great pain, but she needed to put as much distance between her and that cat as possible. As Lissy ran, she heard a rustle in the brush that encouraged her to move faster. Lissy was running as fast as she could, when she suddenly ran into something.

        She screamed, it screamed. That was when Lissy realized it was Samantha.

        “Samantha!” Lissy exclaimed.

        “Lissy!” Samantha said, relieved. “Where’s the bean? What happened to you? Your wings- oh my Luna, your wings!”

        “No time,” Lissy said frantically. “She’s after me on Jinx. Explain as we run.”

        “Who’s after you?” Samantha asked. Lissy shook her head and pulled Samantha along as she ran. Samantha groaned. “Fine! But I hope we have time while we’re running for our lives to tell me what happened to your eyes!”

        “What do you mean?” Lissy asked, barely sparing Samantha a glance and tripping over the tatters of her dress.

        “You’re going to tell me you didn’t know your eyes Flashed silver?!” Samantha exclaimed. “Oh, come on!”

        Lissy blinked rapidly. Her eyes had Flashed. And not just any color. Silver. But she didn’t have time to dwell on that now. For now, she had to focus on surviving.

        "Anyway, tell me what's going on," Samantha demanded.

        "Amber's under the influence of Dark magic," Lissy explained as she tugged Samantha down into a brush.

        "What?!" Samantha scouted.

        "Shh!" Lissy looked around before turning to her companion. "There’s an amulet. She’s really protective of it. I think… I think it has something to do it.” She met Samantha’s eyes. “We can do this."

        Samantha nodded. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a noiseless scream. “Lissy, look out!”

        Lissy looked over her shoulder just as she was pushed out of the way. Jinx jumped just at that moment and slashed down, catching Samantha’s back and her already shredded wings. Samantha screamed in pain and Lissy could see the color draining from her face.

        “Samantha!” Lissy screamed.

        “I- I’m fine,” Samantha said, pulling herself to her feet. Lissy supported her, brushing red hair out of Samantha’s face. Red began to bleed into the white of Samantha’s jacket.

        “Oh, looks like Samantha has joined the party,” a cold voice said from atop Jinx’s head.

        Samantha’s gaze traveled up the cat to his head to notice Amber standing there. Her jaw dropped.

        “No-No…” Her voice held the same disbelief Lissy’s had. A sheen of betrayal in her eyes, however, seemed all the worse.

        “Oh, _yes_!” Amber said smugly. “Here I am. Here to destroy the both of you, it seems.” Amber raised her hand, a swirling orb of purple and black being thrown at them before they could move. They were thrown back into a hard, dead stem. Samantha heard the painful crunch of her arm breaking.

        Both groaned. Lissy looked over to Samantha and reached out. They grasped each other’s hands.

        “So this is how it ends,” Lissy whispered.

        Samantha cracked a sad sort of smile. “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” she claimed.

        “Go!” Amber screeched. “Get out of here!” The dagger she’d pushed into her own stomach was glowing much like the power she’d shot at Samantha and Lissy. She was crying, blood soaking her dress.

        Lissy couldn’t tell if it was from pain, or something else.

        Samantha pulled Lissy to her feet and began pushing her in the direction of Pyrus’s pumpkin.

        “Go, gogogogo,” Samantha said as Amber began summoning power once more, even as the glare in her eyes returned and she flinched. She pushed Lissy once again and they began running, fear and adrenaline lending to their speed.

        Neither able to fly in their condition, they ran through the thicket and thorns, even more scrapes and cuts adding onto their injuries.

        “Hurry!” called Samantha over her shoulder. “We have to hurry! She’ll catch us!”

        “I’m trying,” said Lissy breathlessly. Lissy sunk to her knees and Samantha clutched the side of a dead stem.

        “What- are you just sitting down for?” Samantha asked, trying to stay on her feet while breathing heavily.

        Lissy shook her head. “I can’t go any farther,” she said. “I can’t. But you need to go. You can’t let him catch you.”

        “No!” Samantha screamed. “I’m not leaving you here! Amber risked her life to save us! We can’t just ignore that! We have to keep going!”

        Lissy and Samantha stared hard at each other.

        “Look out!” Samantha screeched, holding onto her broken arm.

        Lissy turned just as Jinx burst through the bushes. “Run,” Lissy said breathlessly. She was frozen in fear.

        “Not without you,” said Samantha.

        “Go, _now_!” Lissy commanded.

        A horrible, evil laugh came from atop the cat. “It doesn’t matter if you run, little fairies,” said a horrible and mocking voice. “I’ll always catch you.”

        “Amber, you have to stop this,” Samantha growled, pushing herself forward in front of Lissy. “This isn’t you.” Blood dripped from her back, even as she held her arms out in front of Lissy. It should have been Lissy there to shield Samantha. Samantha, who was hurt. Lissy, who had the silver eyes.

        “Please,” Lissy begged. Her eyes were closed tight. She wanted to cry. She wanted Amber back. She wanted Samantha back.

        Amber laughed again at Samantha’s statement. “This isn’t _me_?” she questioned. “Please. You. Don’t. Know. Me.” She schooled her features, ignoring the wound in her stomach. She raised her hand, and a large spear of electric black slowly formed. “Prepare to die.”

        “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Samantha asked in surprise, turning her head to face Lissy. Lissy nodded slowly.

        Amber’s eyes- they’d Flashed violet. The one color known to bring change to the pumpkin patch.

        “Yeah, I see it,” Lissy agreed.

        “And it’s no use to us now,” Samantha said.

        The position was hopeless. They were nowhere near Pyrus. Neither Lissy or Samantha were capable of fighting or getting to Amber to remove the amulet around her neck, or even getting away to fight another day.

        Jinx pounced.

        But then there was a flash of grey and green. Jinx was thrown off course by whoever (or whatever) had pounced.

        There was a bright flash and a loud click. The chain around Amber’s neck broke. The amulet fell to the ground. The green stopped and hovered just above Lissy and Samantha. They stared wide eyed at the boy with green wings and mask in front of them. He sent a smile down to them.

        “I’m afraid it’s up to you now,” he told them. “My job is done. Take care of her!” Then, the he was gone, left only to grey.

        A small gray pixie had somehow tied up Jinx, and he was whining pathetically. “That’s for pouncing on me and trying to eat me,” she said smugly.

        Lissy and Samantha looked at one another, then back to the pixie. “Whisper?!”

        The pixie looked up, and grinned in a way that was obvious it was Amber’s bunny. The same sparkling blue eyes as before widened as Whisper made an “Oh” shape with her mouth. There was a loud pop and there where there was once a pixie, Whisper the bunny now sat.

        Whisper tilted her head before turning to Jinx. She nipped at Jinx’s tail and he ran off, yowling.

        “Was that- Was that fairy who I think it was…?” Lissy squeaked.

        “I think so,” Samantha breathed.

        “Guys? Can we focus on Amber here? I don’t have hands anymore, so I kinda can’t pick her up.”

        Samantha and Lissy jumped, turning towards Amber. She was collapsed on the ground. Everything fading from her. The dark dress and the curls in her hair faded away, leaving her old clothes were in place. Even the black thorns began receding from her arms and the rest of her body. The biggest difference in her current state was her wings; with the purple receding, only pink and blue were left behind.

        Amber groaned and blinked open her eyes. She looked up at Samantha and Lissy, placing a hand on her stomach where the wound had been. Even that had faded too.

        “Guys?” she asked weakly. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Where are you?”

        “We’re right here, bean,” Samantha said, putting her hand on Amber’s shoulder.

        “Sorry, I can’t really see you,” Amber said. “I’m pretty much blind without my glasses these days.”

        “Good thing I got them for you then,” Whisper stated. She unfolded one of her ears and set down a tiny, fairy sized pair of red rimmed glasses. Lissy put them in Amber’s hand and Amber slipped them on her face.

        “Thanks, guys,” Amber said, looking down at her lap. “I- I- I don’t-”

        “You don’t have to say anything,” Lissy said quietly. Amber looked back up at them.

        “But I hurt you! I hurt both of you!” she exclaimed. She pressed her hands into her legs, almost painfully. “I let the Darkness in and I hurt you two!”

        “No,” Samantha said quietly. “You didn’t let it in. It took over you. It-” Samantha let out a heavy sigh, falling to her knees in front of Amber. “It does that. It’s a hard thing to fight.” Samantha and Amber looked at each other. Then Samantha lurched forward and hugged Amber. “That wasn’t you,” Samantha said. “You weren’t being you. We had to get you back.”

        Amber wrapped her arms around Samantha, then they brought Lissy into the hug.

        “Watch the arm, watch the arm,” Samantha grimaced. Lissy laughed and Amber gave a bit of a shy chuckle when they broke away. There was a loud shout and scream of annoyance. The three turned.

        Livius floated near the top of a thorny bush, his own violet eyes glowing in the growing dark. “Useless animals!” he shouted in annoyance. “Amber, come with me. It’s time to return-”

        Amber broke away from Lissy and Samantha, taking a step towards Livius. She dropped to her knees, and Samantha was only stopped from rushing to her side by Lissy’s arm.

        “No,” she said, her voice harsh and resolute.

_I’m done. I’m scared. I want to go home. But I’m done. I’m not going to be pushed over anymore, not here, not by him._

        Livius’s eyes narrowed in Amber’s direction. “Fairies cannot break their promises-“

        Samantha’s eyes widened when she saw the look on Amber’s face. She was _smiling_. Smiling, of all things!

        “I promised to go with you,” she claimed. “I never promised to stay.”

        She clenched her hands, the wind whipping about her and blowing her hair around her face. “I am Amber Isabella Ryans!” she shouted. “I am human, I am fairy, I am _my own_ person! And I shall never, _ever_ let you control me again!” She rose in the air to be level with Livius, raising her hand as she did so, the pen forming in it. “ _Verborum amans_!”

        With a swish of her pen, the motion writing out her words, an orb of power formed in front of her. With the final word, the blast soared towards Livius, sending him flying. And without using his wings to boot.

        Exhausted, Amber collapsed onto the ground. Lissy caught her before she crumpled to the ground and helped her stand. Whisper came closer and knelt so the three could climb aboard.

        “By the way,” Amber asked, wiping away her tears, “who was the green fairy?”

        “Green fairy?” Lissy asked.

        Amber nodded. “All I could see of him was his green wings,” she said. “He flew by so fast when he took Livius’s amulet.” Whisper began to bound in the direction of Pyrus’s pumpkin, all three holding on tight.

        “I’m not really sure,” Lissy said, looking down. “He wore a mask, so I couldn’t tell.”

        “But he wore the royal insignia.”

        “Oh, that’s because he was the prince,” Whisper said. All slowly turned their attention to Whisper, her ears twitching.

        “WHAT?!” they exclaimed.

        “You met the prince?” Samantha questioned.

        “And he saved us!” Lissy squealed in delight.

        Amber looked down in embarrassment. “Not exactly the first impression you want a prince to have of you…” Amber said softly. _And what if what Livius said is true? What if I am the one the prince wants?_

        Amber looked off into the distance the green fairy flew off in.

_But what if he’s not as bad a Livius thinks he is?_

        “Well, if you get back to Pyrus, you won’t have to worry about it,” Lissy stated.

        There was a beat of silence before she and Samantha looked at each other in a panic. “Pyrus!” they shrieked.

        “We’ll never make it,” Samantha groaned.

        “It’s already past sunset-” Lissy began.

        “It was already dark when I entered the pumpkin patch,” Amber assured her. She leaned forward and tightly grabbed onto Whisper’s fur. “Hurry, Whisper.”

        Whisper made a noise in agreement and began to take long strides, the wind rushing in their ears making it impossible to talk. Not that they would have anyway. The timer ticking in the back of her mind took up too much of her thoughts.

        They made it to Pyrus’s and quickly slid off.

        “Did we make it in time?” Amber questioned.

        “It’s very close,” Illa said, pressing Amber’s bag into her arms.

        “Hurry now!” Pyrus urged. “You must make it to the circle and be completely in it within moments or it will not sever your tie here and you will not return!”

        Amber didn’t even have the time to say goodbye to her friends, she took off towards the shimmering pink circle raising towards the sky.

 _I have to make it_. _I’m so close, I have to._

        Tears, a mixture of happiness and sadness, fell down Amber’s cheeks.

_Mom, I’m coming. I’m coming home. Wait for me, Mom._

        “Bye Amber!” Samantha shouted, cupping her mouth and waving her hand high above her head. “You better make it, you bean!”

        “See you!” Lissy cheered, wiping her eyes free of tears though she smiled brightly.

        “Good luck,” Pyrus murmured, bowing his head with a smile. Illa touched his arm.

        “Good luck, Amber!” she called.

        They watched as Amber ran, the seconds ticking away.

        Ten…

_Thank you everyone._

        Nine…

_For- For everything._

        Eight…

_I’m sorry to leave so soon, but…_

        Seven…

_I’m coming home._

        Six…

_Mom, I’m almost home._

        Five…

_Mom._

        Four…

_I’m coming-_

        Three…

_Mo-_

        Two…

        Amber was mostly in the circle, only her wings left outside. Lissy and Samantha crossed their fingers.

        One.

        And she disappeared.

        Samantha blinked owlishly. Lissy looked from Samantha to Pyrus to Illa.

        “Did she- Did she make it?” Samantha asked.

        “We may never know,” Pyrus said, leaning heavily on his staff. “Her wings were still outside, so many things could have happened. I did not create that spell, and I was unsure as to if it would work, seeing as who made it.”

        “Who made it?” Lissy asked.

        Pyrus watched the fading circle with a wry look. “Livius, dear child.” He turned and began heading to his pumpkin. “But come, girls. And let Illa help me get you fixed up.”

        And so, the three fairies departed from Whisper after a few goodbyes, and Whisper headed to the other side of the pumpkin patch, to find her way home


	10. Home

        Amber blinked open her eyes, not recognizing her surroundings at first. Only the uncomfortable pain in her chest and the heavy tube on her mouth. Her eyes were out of focus from her lack of glasses, but when she turned her head, she’d recognize the form of her mother anywhere.

        “Mom?”

        Daisy gasped, turning quickly. “Amber!” she exclaimed. She ran to Amber’s side, holding her tightly. “You’re awake! You’re alive, you’re awake!” If Amber’s arms hadn’t been so heavy, she would have wrapped them around her mother. If her chest and lungs didn’t hurt so bad, she would have laughed.

        Instead, she smiled, albeit painfully. “Yeah, Mom,” she said softly, her voice weak and muffled by the oxygen tube. “I’m okay.”

        Amber closed her eyes and leaned back into her pillow, tears prickling at the corner or her eyes.

        “I’m home.”

        Amber stayed in the hospital for several days (thankful for the long weekend, but sad that she’d missed Halloween. Daisy promised she’d saved some candy, seeing as she hadn’t been home Halloween and hadn’t passed any out). Emily stopped by often, a feat which surprised Amber the first couple of times. Several classmates, actually, even Luke, and it was the weirdest thing for Amber. But after the doctors made sure that Amber was fine, and there would be no ill lasting effects, Amber was fit to return home.

        Richard Song, Daisy’s close friend, was going to be driving her. He waited over to the side of the room while Amber collected the books and flowers people had brought her.

        “Ready to go, kiddo?” Richard asked after Amber turned her him, all her things collected in her bag. She nodded with a smile.

        “Yeah,” she told him. Richard led Amber out of the hospital and out to his car.

        They pulled out of the parking lot and to the road, his fingers tapping on the wheel while Amber looked out the window. “Your mom is just getting a few things set up at the shop so she can take a few days off and rest easy, knowing she’s nearby if you need her.”

        Amber nodded. “Yeah. Um. Thanks.” She hesitantly looked up at Richard. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking away. “About- About what- About what happened. Back then.”

        “Amber, you don’t need to apologize,” he said, looking at her out of the side of his eye. “Just don’t be so reckless again.” He reached out to pat her head, but hesitated when Amber shook her head.

        “It’s not about that,” she said softly. “I- I’m- It’s just- I’m- I’m sorry. About Jade.”

        There was a stunned silence.

        “So you do remember her,” he said quietly, not looking at Amber. His knuckles tightened around the wheel.

        “She was my best friend for years. She saved my life,” she claimed, reaching up to brush away the tears that began forming. “And I- I’ve never forgotten her. I mean. How- How could I forget her?”

        Richard let out a soft smile. “I’m… glad. I’m glad that you’ve never forgotten her. You meant everything to my daughter, Amber, and it makes me happy to know that she meant enough to you to remember her.”

        All the fear and hurt she’d dealt with for the last three years, fear that Richard hated her guts for not being able to save Jade, was finally released.

        The Sunday before Amber returned to school, Amber walked to the graveyard, skirting completely around the pumpkin patch. Whisper was left at home, that time, but instead, Amber carried a bouquet of flowers in her bookbag, made up of white orchids and pink roses. A smaller one made of zinnias was held in her hand.

        Amber walked along the cobbled path to a grave she’d visited many times, though generally only on Memorial Day. She smiled as she placed a hand on top of the stone.

        “Sorry I can’t stay longer,” Amber murmured as she set the flowers in her hand down. “I promised Mom I wouldn’t be long, but I had another someone to visit today. I’ll come visit again soon, Dad.”

        Amber stood, continuing down the path, taking a few turns, until she came upon a shining gravestone under a shaded tree. Amber knelt in front of it, reading the nameplate.

_Jade Song. 2002-2015. A beautiful girl, with a beautiful heart. Fly with your wings now._

        Amber smiled a bit at the stone. “Hey Jade,” she said. Then she squeaked. “Oh! I brought you flowers!” She pulled her bag off, gently taking the only slightly smushed flowers out and laying them in front of the headstone. “I, uh, I- So much has happened. A lot. I don’t- I’m not sure where to begin.”

        Amber wiped at her eyes and laughed.

        “I just got here and I’m already weepy!” She set her hands in her lap, looking down. “So many people said you didn’t exist. Or that we’d never met. Sometimes- Sometimes I wanted to believe them. Just- Just so I- Just so I could be _normal_.” Amber bit her lip. “I shouldn’t have cared. I don’t. Not anymore. But. I just. I did. And I’m sorry. You meant more to me than that. You _mean_ more to me than that.

        “And that you died saving me. _Me_. You gave up your air so I could breath. You gave up your momentum so I could get to the surface. I- I _let_ you die. And I’m sorry for that too. Especially that.”

        Amber lowered her head, hair falling in her face, hiding her tears.

        “It’s not your fault she died, dumbass.”

        Amber jumped, turning around in a flash at the sound of the voice. Jasper stood there, though he looked a bit less intimidating outside of school. He dropped purple hyacinth in front of the grave, kneeling by a still frozen Amber.

        “But you really wanna be in this place so much?”

        He tilted his head in Amber’s direction, a curious look on his face.

        “What bring you here after all this time?” he asked, no malice in his voice. If Amber hadn’t been on the receiving end of his insults and tormenting, then Amber might have said his expression was cute.

        Amber scowled a bit, turning back to the flowers to fix them from where they scattered. “I could say the same to you,” she muttered, not looking at Jasper. “I thought you didn’t remember Jade.”

        Jasper gave a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I guess I was kinda a dick in that regard.”

        “Kinda?”

        Amber went bright red as Jasper’s eyes widened. Then he burst out laughing, falling back onto the grass and stretching out his arms.

        “Yeah, I was a dick,” he said. “Not even a little bit about it. “I knew that Jade existed, I knew you were right. I could have stood up for you, and yet I didn’t.” He sighed and pulled himself to his feet until he was standing above Amber, his shadow casting on her. He closed his eyes as he smacked the back of his head. “I heard what happened on Halloween. And… I’m sorry I didn’t drop by. I didn’t think it would be appropriate.”

_Definitely not._

        “I know it won’t change- anything, it won’t change anything, but I’m sorry,” Jasper continued. “I… I’m sorry, Amber. For what I did, and everything I didn’t do. I’m not- I’m not gonna make excuses. ‘Cause that’s stupid, and not my style. But I need you to know somethin’ about my side too. Lilith had me under her control too.” Jasper groaned and slumped forward, his hands deep in his pockets. “I’ve got a sister in the hospital, ya see? Just a kid. And if we ain’t got the money for payments for her treatments, she’s gonna die. If Lilith started anything about Ma and Pa’s shop, we’d be shut down and my sister would die.

        “I ain’t telling you this to give you excuses. Just- Know you’re not alone, alright? And me- I’m just a selfish asshole who was looking out for himself.” He lowered his hat to hide his eyes. “I went to Vice Principal Thomas at the end of last week and told him what was going on. With… everything. Lilith. Her rumors, about everyone. He didn’t- He tried to claim that he couldn’t believe me about my involvement, as I’m big in the football game, ya know? But Principal Grace came and said those two losers- er, sorry? Friends of yours. Greenleaf or whatever and Blake. Anyway, those two went and told her the same story.”

        Jasper chuckled dryly, rubbing the back of his head.

        “So, uh, long story short, you don’t have to worry about any of us for a while. I got suspended for a couple weeks, and I’m off the starter for the team. Lilith and her squad are outta Oakridge for ‘bout a month and a half. Lilith’s damn lucky she didn’t get expelled, what she did period was bad but what happened with you went way too far, but it didn’t happen like that but that happens when you’ve got money I guess.”

        Jasper shrugged and turned around, ready to walk off.

        “Anyway, I told ya I wasn’t looking for forgiveness. But. Yeah. Needed to say that.”

        He began walking and Amber slowly stood up, bring her bag to hang off her shoulder.

        “No,” she said quietly, barely loud enough for Jasper to hear and stop. “It doesn’t mend everything. It fixes barely anything.” She looked up and met his eyes. She didn’t glare, she didn’t scowl, her face wasn’t carefully blank. She gave him a soft, timid smile. “I know I’m not the only one Lilith threatened. It would be a bit selfish of me to think I was.”

        Amber laughed, looking back to Jade’s grave.

        “But I have to thank you. For saying sorry. And about Jade. Jade… she was special. In many ways. More than anything, it made me sad when people didn’t remember her.”

        “Let’s get out of here, Ryans,” Jasper said, putting his hands in his pockets while wearing a smirk. Amber sighed a little, shaking her head but smiling a bit anyway as she followed beside Jasper as he walked down the path. “Uh, but now that I’m thinkin’ about it, how _would_ I go about earning your forgiveness?” he asked.

        Amber tapped her chin while looking up. “Good question,” she mused. She blinked before turning her attention to Jasper. “Hey, Jasper?”

        “Hmm?”

        “Whatever happened to Tyler? Weren’t the two of you friends?”

        Jasper slowed his walk. But then he grinned brightly. “Yeah, me and him go way back,” he agreed. “Moved away back in eighth though. Some prep school down in Cali wanted him on their team in high school. He wanted to go.” He shrugged. “We still talk from time to time, but it’s harder nowadays with us being so busy, and the fact we’re just small-town brats and he’s all up in Cisco.”

        Amber shook her head. “Eloquent, aren’t you?”

        “Say what now?”

        “Never mind.”

        Jasper walked Amber all the way home, barely any words being exchanged between the two. He saluted Amber before walking off once they were at the of her block, and Amber turned towards home, not watching him go.

        One week passed, then two. With it, the return of Jasper. Who had to deal with an angry, and now very protective Emily Blake. It was not Amber’s favorite duty to try to quell fights between the two, but it happened more than Amber could quite admit. Despite all the strange things happening, one of the strangest was Jasper’s drastic change in attitude.

        “Didn’t I tell ya?” Jasper said, winking and smirking as he tilted his hat up. “I dropped Lilith’s ass and now I feel lighter than a feather.” And he looked it too, if Amber was being honest with herself.

        Being surrounded by so many people during lunch was certainly a new experience, with Jasper, Emily, and Luke in the mix of Amber’s everyday activities. Luke, who Amber couldn’t stop staring at and thinking about in awe.

        At least she could actually have a real conversation now?

        The four of them walked out of the last period science class, Luke and Emily chatting aimlessly while Amber looked through her writing notebook and Jasper eyed the two of them in amusement.

        “Nooooo,” Emily whined, slumping. “I forgot I had detention with Mr. Mathews! He’s going to be sooo angry if I’m late again! I’ve gotta go, guys! See you two later!”

        “And this is where I exit stage left-” Jasper said as he tried to sidestep away, only for Emily’s arm to snap out and catch him.

        “Oh no you don’t,” she said sweetly, her eyes holding nothing of the sweetness. “You don’t get to slink off. If I’ve got detention with your uncle, then so do you! You don’t get to get out of, especially when I heard him give it to you.”

        Jasper yelped as Emily pulled him along after her, both disappearing around the corner. Amber giggled into her hand and Luke looked over at her with a grin.

        “You’re looking better these days,” he commented. “You’re smiling more, not looking so sad.”

        The comment had heat rising to her ears and Amber looked away, stumbling over unformed words in her mouth. “Um- That’s- You see- I-” She let out a whine, covering her face and Luke laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder.

        “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Amber,” he told her. “Goodnight.”

        Amber bit her lip. _If I can fight giant cats and face my demons and battle evil fairies, I can do this!_

        Luke turned around. “Hey, Amber-”

        “Will you go out with me?!”

        Luke blinked at Amber in shock for a moment after her outburst. Then he began to laugh.

        Amber blushed bright red. “You-You don’t have to laugh!” she exclaimed. “I really like you, you know! I- I have for a- for a really long time!”

        Luke continued to laugh, though he tried to stop, a hand covering up the sound. “I- I’m sorry,” he said, his voice muffled by his hand. “I- I just- It’s just funny because I didn’t know if you felt that way. I was going to ask you to go out with me this weekend.”

        “Really-Really?!” Amber squeaked, feeling the blood simultaneously to and from her head. Luke nodded. “I- I can do that.”

        Luke’s bright grin could only rival the one she’d seen on Lissy the first time they met (that seemed like years ago, now, to Amber). Unable to contain his glee, he jumped forward and hugged Amber tightly, spinning her around.

        “I’m so happy!” he exclaimed.

        “Me-too-now-can-you-please-put-me-down-I’m-going-to-lose-my-glasses!” Amber shrieked. Luke gave a nervous laugh as he set her back on the ground. He rubbed the back of his neck.

        “Uh, sorry about that. Um, can I walk you home then?” Amber grinned at him and nodded. He returned the smile, and Amber wondered if she’d have to get sunglasses considering how bright his smiles were. “Great! Um, I just need to get a book from a locker, then I’ll meet you at the front of the school!”

        “Okay, I’ll be waiting,” Amber told him. He waved as he ran off, and Amber waved as well. She couldn’t help but hum happily to herself as she walked.

        As she placed her writing notebook in her bookbag, she heard two girls arguing and froze in place.

        “I _told_ you it wasn’t in this building!”

        “It’s not my fault the map’s so weird!”

        “You’re holding it upside down, stupid.”

        “I’m not stupid.”

        “Are too.”

        “Am not!”

        Amber ran around the corner to see two girls, one with flaming red hair and the other with midnight black standing there. The girl with red hair had her arms folded as she glared accusingly at the other.

        The redhead’s back was to Amber, but the girl with black hair had a clear view of her.

        “Amber,” she breathed. The redhead turned sharply and Amber got a clear view of the two standing there.

        “Samantha. Lissy,” Amber said, tears brimming in her eyes. “Samantha! Lissy!” She began running to them. Then she embraced the two tightly. “You’re here! In my world! As humans!” She backed up a bit, but didn’t let go in fear they’d disappear on her. “Wha- How- I thought-“

        Lissy laughed giddily and hugged Amber back. Samantha hugged her as well. “Well, when you got changed back your wings were out of the circle,” Samantha said.

        Lissy nodded. “This caused a ripple effect,” she explained. “Fairies can turn into humans now. And vice versa. Whenever we want.”

        “That’s something we haven’t been able to do in a thousand years,” Samantha stressed. “So, you’re something special, bean.”

        “The only thing is, we’ve gotta have these,” Lissy explained, showing off her ring. A silver band with a blue gem. A similar one with a gold band and red gem was on Samantha’s finger. “They’re the connection, and where our wings are stored.”

        “And we’ve got yours.” Samantha held out her fist and dropped a ring into Amber’s hand. Silver, with a light pink jewel. She smirked. “So you’re not getting away from us that easily.

        Amber held the ring close to her chest and laughed. Then she hugged them again. “I- I- I just can’t believe that you’re actually here,” she said softly. “I was so scared it was all a dream…”

        “Can’t get rid of us quite that easily,” Samantha said, punching Amber’s arm lightly.

        Lissy bobbed her head happily. “Yep!” she said. “We plan on sticking around for a while.”

        Amber smiled at the two, rubbing the arm she was pretty sure was going to bruise. Her eyes met Samantha’s, then Lissy’s. Her jaw dropped when she saw Lissy’s eyes. “Lissy! Your eyes are blue again! Does that- Will that happen when you turn human?”

        Lissy’s eyes widened then she closed them and grinned. She gestured to her gloves, now both fully repaired. “Nah, that’s because of these!” she explained. “Apparently they’ve got some magical properties and keep the silver eyes from coming out… Not that big of a deal though. I look better in blue.”

        Amber looked between the two before her and she wiped away the tears growing in her eyes. I’m so lucky. _I have the others, and now I have them. It’s almost too good to be true._

        She sucked in a breath, her eyes going wide in horror. “Wait, if you guys can turn into humans...” she said slowly, “then does that mean Livius can too?”

        The two fairies looked at each other, then shrugged.

        “No one’s… seen Livius since you blasted him away,” Samantha told her. “His magic’s been read until about a week ago when he just… disappeared. No one can find him, though we’ve been looking. But… it does stand to reason that he _could_ become human if the rest of us can as well. It’s not a very well-known thing right now. Pyrus is the one who figured it out, so he’s the only other one who knows.”

        Amber bit her lip once more, brushing hair behind her ear and fixing her glasses. _Livius can become human… Does that mean the prince can too? Livius wasn’t… good. But that doesn’t mean the prince is either. What if he’s just another brand of bad?_

_If that’s the case, I don’t think I can be a part of that world._

        Amber let out a breath before meeting Samantha and Lissy’s eyes. “Livius said some things about the prince wanting to marry me once I turn sixteen,” she said. “I turn sixteen in April. I don’t… _want_ to marry him. For one thing, I wouldn’t even be ready. I’m _not_ ready.” Amber held the ring back out to Samantha, but Samantha pushed it back.

        “Then we’ll teach you to fight,” she stated. “You mean a lot to us- to _me_. It was my magic that helped make you part of the pumpkin patch anyway. It’s why you showed up in my pumpkin.” She grinned. “Come on, bean. Have a little fun. Don’t be scared, ‘case we got your back now for sure.”

        “That’s right!” Lissy exclaimed, jumping and pumping one of her hands. “We’ll protect you!”

        Samantha smirked at Amber as Amber put the ring on her finger. “So, since you’re one of us now, a full-fledged fairy with wings and everything,” she said, putting her arm around Amber’s shoulder. “Wanna go flying, bean?”

        Amber’s eyes lit up.

        “Amber! Hi! I’m here, finally!” Luke panted as he skidded to a stop at Amber’s side. He stood and took a deep breath. “Woo, I’m sorry that took so long! My locker was jammed!” He blinked when he noticed Samantha and Lissy. “Who’re you two?”

        “Oh, ah, this is Luke!” Amber squeaked. “Luke Greenleaf! And these two are-”

        “I’m Felicity Minah!” Lissy exclaimed, bouncing on Luke, she draped an arm over his shoulder. “But you can call me Lissy!”

        “Lissy, you’re being too touchy,” Samanha said with an eyeroll. “Samantha King. We’re new here and old friends of Amber’s.”

        Luke’s eyes widened. “Oh, well then, welcome!” he told them. “It’ll be a pleasure to have you at school.”

        Samantha nodded as she pulled Lissy off of Luke and Amber took a small step closer to him, waving at the two.

        “Sorry, but I already promised Luke he could walk me home,” Amber told them. “But next time, okay?” Luke held out his arm and Amber took it, allowing him to escort her out.

        Lissy and Samantha turned to each other.

        “Doesn’t he seem like-”

        “Uh-huh.”

        “And didn’t he have a-”

        “Yup.”

        “Do you think he’s-”

        “Definitely.”

        They both sighed heavily, leaning against one another.

        “Protecting her is going to be harder than we thought it would, isn’t it?”

        “That is the most accurate thing you’ve ever said to me, Lissy.”

        They watch Luke and Amber walk off into the distance together, and a small smile graced Samantha’s lips.

        “But you know what? Maybe they’ll get a happy ending after all.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That is the end of the line, my lovelies. I thank you heartily for reading this! Now, I have I have things to address when it comes to this story. 
> 
> If it were an anime, like I envisioned it as, Jasper would get his own redemption arc. If it were an anime, Livius would too (and with it maybe a Livius/Daisy/Richard love triangle?). It it were an anime, you'd get more on Illa, you'd get Pyrus's past. If it were an anime, you'd get a fully flushed out Samantha's past that would lead into Lissy's, and then lead into it with the truth of the royal family. 
> 
> Buuuuuut as it is, I'm not an artist, so you only get my writing. If I were a more inspired writer, I could write several books on this world seeing as it's pretty expansive. 
> 
> But nope, you only get a sequel. When? Oh, I don't know. I've been working on this since 2016. Haunt my profile and you might see. Thank you for checking out my book, and sticking around this long! (Yes, the sequel is already in the works, but you never know...)
> 
> I also have a quiz based off this book: [Mythic World](https://www.quotev.com/quiz/10631259/Mythic-World)


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